An Open Letter to the Honnold Foundation Community
by Kate Trujillo, Director of Programs
Two years ago, in January 2020, I was sitting in the Honnold Foundation office waiting for the launch of our Core Fund. For the first time, we were opening our grants to organizations around the world– any nonprofit, anywhere in the world, could apply for funding. Our plan was simple: we were looking for grassroots organizations that were using solar energy to fundamentally alter their community’s trajectory for the better.
We were nervous. Do organizations even know who we are? Will people apply? Is there really a need for what we are doing? And, most importantly, will we reach the communities that need this support the most?
After a week, we had over 100 applications from 10 different countries. After two weeks, we had 300 and counting. By the end of the month, we received over 700 applications from over 40 countries, across every continent except Antarctica.
We stopped being nervous and got to work.
We read every single application, knowing that, despite the overwhelming number of amazing projects, only a fraction could move forward due to our limited budget.
A few weeks later, Covid was officially declared a global pandemic, and as the world churned in turmoil, time felt like it was moving too slow and too fast all at once. But amidst the uncertainty, our Partners’ lights shined bright. Just as they had always done, each organization rose to meet the challenges facing their communities. Some took to the streets to deliver hygiene kits and basic necessities like food and clear water. Others sewed masks and built hospital beds for local clinics. Ultimately, in addition to responding to the crisis at hand, almost all of our partners were able to complete their solar projects as planned.
In 2021, we narrowed our Core Fund application’s focus to better reflect the communities we serve, and the types of projects we’re seeking to fund. Still open to communities around the world, we were hoping for 100 applications and received over 400.
Over the past two years, we’ve supported 26 organizations across 17 countries and each one of our partners has used solar technology in a different way. The common thread? Community-owned and community-centered solutions.
Kara Solar reimagined transportation and prevented thousands of acres of deforestation in the Amazon with a network of solar-powered canoes. Tusobola Women Initiative Network brought energy to rural health clinics in Uganda, installing solar at 7 clinics with lightning speed, dramatically improving healthcare for over 20,000 people. Coalfield Development unveiled West Virginia’s largest solar array on a nonprofit building, and provided solar industry job training to former coal miners and their families, demonstrating how renewable energy can revitalize communities struggling with extractive industrial practices. And in Indonesia, KOPPESDA installed 300 solar home systems whose solar panels and battery packs are made of up-cycled e-waste.
Since our inaugural Core Fund launch, we’ve received over 2000 applications, and, truthfully, a huge number of these met our funding criteria. While we’ve grown dramatically, there’s still a $90 million funding gap for the solutions we could and should be funding. Communities around the world are developing their own unique solutions to address the impacts of climate change while ensuring they have access to clean energy. Now, they need our support, and your support, to make those solutions a reality.
That’s why we launched the Innovation Fund— a new fundraising campaign dedicated to helping our current and future Grantee Partners scale and expand their vital work. Over the next 12 months, we’ll raise at least $1 million in additional funding— money that will go directly towards moving the needle on energy access around the world.
Give whatever you can, however you can, so long as your gift challenges you. Meanwhile, we'll work to find values-aligned corporations and foundations that can match your gifts, dollar for dollar. It takes all of us to make this world a brighter place, and we’re excited to have you along for the ride.
