Midwest Climate & Energy
Midwest Climate & Energy supports Midwest organizations with operating and project grants for climate solutions that cut greenhouse gas emissions and advance an equitable clean energy transition.
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Funder: McKnight Foundation
Due Dates: Rolling (Applications) | September 1, 2027 (Recommended for same-calendar-year funding)
Funding Amounts: Operating and project grants; $32 million in program payments across 125 grants in 2025
Summary: Supports Midwest organizations working to cut greenhouse gas emissions and advance an equitable clean energy transition.
Key Information: Open proposals are limited to organizations based and working in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa; other Midwest states are invite-only.
Description
McKnight Foundation’s Midwest Climate & Energy program provides operating and project grants to advance bold, equitable climate solutions in the Midwest. Its goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at scale as quickly as possible, while supporting equity, justice, and a healthy democracy. The program uses a systems-change approach, addressing conditions that perpetuate the climate crisis, including structural racism, and seeks to dramatically cut Midwest carbon pollution by 2030.
Supported work includes policy research, advocacy, and education to inform public policies and administrative rules of executive, judicial, and administrative agencies. The program also considers neutral, nonpartisan information-sharing that fully describes both sides of pending legislative issues. Its strategies encompass clean energy systems, transportation and building decarbonization, working lands, and stronger democratic participation.
