Sustain Our Future Foundation Awards $400,000 in Grants to Put Communities at the Center of Infrastructure Decision-Making
The national cohort of grant recipients strengthen community-led approaches to accountability, benefits, and shared decision-making across emerging infrastructure projects.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Please reach out to media@sustainourfuture.org for any media inquiries.
April 15, 2026
Washington, DC - Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF) today announced $400,000 in grants to a national cohort of nonprofit organizations advancing community governance, equitable benefits, and accountability in infrastructure development. The funding supports efforts to ensure that large-scale projects, from data centers to energy systems, are shaped by the priorities, participation, and leadership of the communities they impact.
As infrastructure development accelerates across the United States, driven by increasing energy demand and artificial intelligence expansion, communities are calling for a more substantive role in how projects are designed, approved, and implemented. SOFF’s latest round of funding invests in organizations building the tools, strategies, and governance models needed to shift decision-making power, strengthen accountability, and secure long-term community benefits.
“At a moment when infrastructure investment is scaling rapidly, the question is not just what gets built, but who shapes it and who it serves,” said Yinka N. Bode-George, Founder and CEO of SOFF. “These organizations are advancing models of community governance that move beyond consultation toward shared decision-making to ensure infrastructure development delivers tangible, lasting value for communities.”
Grantee Highlights
Jobs to Move America— A nonprofit organization advancing equitable economic development. Jobs to Move America partners with communities, labor, and industry to design and implement Community Benefits Agreements. Funding will support the expansion of community-driven benefits frameworks that ensure infrastructure investments generate quality jobs and targeted local impact.
Young, Gifted & Green— A nonprofit organization advancing protections against toxic chemical exposures. Young, Gifted & Green focuses on community education and environmental health protections for communities. Funding will support efforts to reduce pollution burdens and strengthen community involvement in infrastructure development decision-making.
Powerlines— A nonprofit organization advancing energy policy reform. Powerlines works to modernize the U.S. utility regulatory system by improving policy, process, and public participation. Funding will support efforts to strengthen community and consumer influence in energy decision-making, particularly as demand from large infrastructure projects grows.
The Better Data Center Project — A nonprofit initiative focused on data center accountability. The Better Data Center Project equips communities with technical expertise to engage developers and shape permitting, energy procurement, and transmission planning processes. Funding will support technical assistance and knowledge-sharing to build local capacity for data center accountability.
Center for Coalfield Justice — A nonprofit organization advancing justice transition strategies in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Center for Coalfield Justice works to protect public health for local residents. Funding will support community education, environmental oversight, and just transition pathways for coalfield communities.
HBCU Green Fund— A nonprofit organization supporting sustainability in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HBCU Green Fund advances climate resilience by resourcing green infrastructure, energy efficiency, and renewable energy initiatives across HBCUs. Funding will support programs that build HBCU students leadership in sustainable development.
The Water Collaborative— A nonprofit organization advancing “water as a human right” in New Orleans Louisiana. The Water Collaborative works to improve clean water access through policy, education, and systems change. Funding will support efforts to address inequities in water access, flood risk, and governance in communities facing compounding climate impacts.
Together, these organizations represent a growing national ecosystem advancing community-led infrastructure development and ensuring projects align with local priorities, support economic transition in historically extractive regions, and build long-term resilience. Through this funding, SOFF continues to resource models that move beyond extractive paradigms and toward systems rooted in accountability, equity, and shared governance.
About Sustain Our Future Foundation
Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF) is a national not-for-profit organization that collaborates with corporate sustainability teams to de-risk and deepen the impact of sustainable infrastructure projects by ensuring that local communities' priorities are part of the planning, siting, and development phases of the projects. Our goal is to raise the standard of sustainable development to promote economic development, community partnership, local self-determination, and environmental health for all communities.