Community First Partnership Application Form

Please submit your responses to the following prompts via this form to complete your application. Bulleted list format is encouraged where possible.

If you prefer to apply via email, you may download the application as a Word document and submit it via email to the Partnership Lead Vendor, All In Energy at [email protected] with “CFP Application Submission” in the subject line.

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Primary Contact Name: Primary Contact Email: Primary Contact Phone: Primary Contact Position: Energy Advocate Name: (if already hired): Energy Advocate Email: (if already hired): Energy Advocate Phone: (if already hired) Municipality/CBO:

PART 1: COMMUNITY PARTNER TEAM, FUNDING AND PRIORITY GROUPS

Q1: Any Community Partner Team may apply for full-time Energy Advocate. Funding for full-time Energy Advocates is limited. Requests for full-time Energy Advocates will be considered based on (a) the total number of customers in the priority customer groups in the communities covered by the application, and (b) the strength of overall application (see Evaluation Criteria section).Are you requesting a part-time or a full-time Energy Advocate? Part-time Full-time

Q1b: If you selected a full-time Energy Advocate, please describe in as much detail as you can why your efforts require additional resources (Total award for communities with full-time advocates is $85,500 annually, which includes up to $2,500 for local marketing efforts).

Q2: Please indicate below how much funding you are requesting and how you plan to spend those funds. We recommend that Energy Advocates be paid at least $30/hour. This recommendation is in line with the equity goals of this Partnership. It is based on the experiences of the 2022-2024 Community First Partner Teams who recommended pay at this level to help recruit and retain high-quality Energy Advocates with the skills to successfully fulfill the varied responsibilities of this role, including community engagement and local connections, data analysis and management, and needed language capabilities, to have a high impact in their outreach and engagement efforts. Please note that if you choose to pay Energy Advocates less than $30/hour, the total award amount available to you may be modified. Energy Advocates may also be paid benefits with the award funding, and you may include up to $2,500 in your budget for local marketing expenses. Please note that the Program Sponsors will be providing some turnkey marketing materials and mailer campaigns at no cost to you:

Energy Advocate Funds

A. Energy Advocate Anticipated Hours per Week B. Energy Advocate Hourly Wage (recommended: $30/hr) C. Hourly benefit cost (if you plan to offer benefits to the Advocate) D. Total Cost of Energy Advocate E. Total Annual Funds Requested for Energy Advocate:

(Note: “E. Total Funds Requested for Energy Advocate“ may be less than “D. Total Cost of Energy Advocate”; see Question 3 below.)

Local Outreach/Marketing Funds

F. Annual Funds Requested for Local Outreach:

(max: $2,500)

Total Award Requested

G. Total Annual Award Requested (E + F):

(max: $85,500)

Q2b: If you plan to pay your Energy Advocate less than $30/hour, please explain your rationale.

Q3: Please describe any match funding from the applicant or other sources of funding that you plan to use for the Energy Advocate(s), if any. Q4: Are you applying for a single municipality or multiple? Single Multiple (up to 3) Q5: Please list the municipality(ies) where you plan to focus your outreach efforts (an application may only include up to 3 communities): Q6: Do the municipalities listed already have full-time energy or sustainability managers/directors/coordinators? Yes No Q7: If you answered “no,” are the municipalities listed applying to the Mass Save School Decarbonization Offer Municipal Energy Manager grant for 2025-2027? Yes No Q8: Please check the top 2-3 priority groups you plan to focus your outreach efforts on: Landlords of 1-4 unit buildings, to benefit renters Low-Income Customers (renters and non-renters) Landlords of 5-20 unit buildings, to benefit renters* Moderate-Income Customers (renters and non-renters) Customers who speak Languages Other Than English Small Businesses

*If your community is listed as a Designated Equity Community in the “Additional Resources” section, you must select this customer priority group as one you will focus on.

Q9: We are asking you to commit to a plan to increase your community’s/communities’ overall participation in the Mass Save program. Can you affirm your commitment to advancing this goal through your work? Yes No

PART 2: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

During the 2022-2024 Community First Partnership, outreach campaigns co-branded with the local municipalities were highly successful. If accepted, Community Partner Teams who will be led by community-based organizations or who propose outreach in multiple municipalities will be asked to secure commitments from the municipalities your outreach plan covers. This may include asking the municipality(ies) to commit to collaboration such as:

Providing the official municipal seal to be used on outreach materials
Securing necessary approvals for outreach materials using the seal
Obtaining the signature of the appropriate municipal official on co-branded outreach letters
Providing the municipality’s assessor’s database to facilitate outreach to our residents
Participating in regular meetings (minimum quarterly) to review impact, support the Community Partnership Team to connect to relevant municipal departments and/or community groups, and provide input on outreach strategy
Providing feedback on the Community First Partnership annually
Identifying a point of contact for within the municipality who will be responsive to the Community Partnership Team’s requests and provide an updated contact should internal staffing changes occur

Q10a: Letter of Support (email attachment): Please email an official letter of support from your mayor, town manager, town administrator or energy manager applying on behalf of the municipality or community-based organization as an attachment to [email protected].

Note: It is not required that your letter of support include the bullets listed above. This information is provided to preview the commitments you may be asked to get from your municipal partners, or the municipalities in which you propose to do your outreach, if you are accepted to the Community First Partnership.Q10b: If you are unable to include this letter of support in your application, or choose not to include it, please explain why below. If you anticipate it may be difficult to get commitments like those listed above from the municipalities, please share that as well.

Q11: (Choose 1) Is your Community Partner Team led by: A community-based organization A municipality

Q11a: Please describe your Community Partner Team’s connection to the community/ies where you propose doing outreach. What programs do you currently offer there and to whom? How long have you been operating there? Do you have a physical office there? Do you have staff who live there or are from there? Does your team speak any languages other than English? (Recommend 250-word max) Q11b: Please describe any current and pre-existing relationships with organizations within the community(ies) you are applying to serve, especially trusted community organizations that represent and/or work with renters, landlords, low-to-moderate income customers, limited English proficiency customers, and small businesses, and to what extent this initiative will build upon those partnerships. (Recommend 250-word max)

PART 3: PROPOSED EDUCATION, OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Q13: Please summarize your proposed outreach approach to reach the priority customer groups you identified in Q8. (Recommend 250 word count limit) Q14: Some communities choose to work with a Home Performance Contractor (HPC) selected by the Community Partner Team, to serve the residents and owners of 1-4 unit buildings that the Community Partner Team engages. Some HPCs are able to provide additional support and/or pay for marketing materials and mailer campaigns. Please indicate your level of interest and/or plans to work with an HPC: Already working with an HPC Plan to select an HPC to work with Unsure / want to learn more before deciding Do not plan to work with an HPC. Please explain. Q15: (Choose 1): Is your Community Partner Team a: Renewing Community Partner Team (i.e. currently participating in 2022-2024 Partnership)? New Community Partner Team (i.e. not currently participating in 2022-2024 Partnership)?

Q16: Please describe any adjustments or improvements to your outreach approach that you plan to make in this next implementation cycle, as compared to your 2022-2024 approach. (250-word count limit)

Q17: Please describe the specific strategies and tactics you will consider for each of the priority customer groups you are focusing your efforts on. This could include but is not limited to potential partners, media channels, marketing activities, existing events at which to table, new events to organize, and other creative outreach activities your team believes will help reach the priority groups identified. Note: Your response here may not reflect the final set of activities you will implement. Part of your orientation to the Partnership will be learning about effective education, outreach, and marketing strategies and your plans will evolve as you do outreach in your community/ies. However, your response should demonstrate your best current thinking on how your Community Partner Team plans to increase participation among the priority customer groups you selected in Q8. (500-word count limit) Q18: Please describe the personnel, volunteers and/or interns who would be supervising and/or providing support to the Energy Advocate position and their specific project responsibilities, including a statement of qualifications of each team member. If your team represents a partnership between multiple community organizations and/or municipalities, please include that information in this section. (Recommended: 250-word count max) Q18: We recommend hiring an Energy Advocate who is representative of at least one of the priority customer groups you seek to serve through the program. What systems or policies does your organization/municipality have in place that would support diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice outcomes through the Community First Partnership? (Recommend 250-word max)