City of Bloomington, IN | Climate Action Dashboard
© 2025
The City of Bloomington’s Economic and Sustainable Development Department regularly applies for federal, state, and philanthropic grants to help fund climate action programs in the community.
Grants are an important source of funding for local government programs—extending the reach of what the City can do while simultaneously reducing reliance on your local tax dollars. In just the last two fiscal years, the City has applied for a number of different grants:
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant: Bloomington was awarded $141,000 in this past fiscal year and used the funds to pursue energy efficiency and decarbonization consulting services to reduce the City’s energy use from municipal operations.
Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant: Bloomington completed an extensive grant application for $5,727,632 to support the deployment of charging stations community-wide to make the transition to EV more accessible to resident. While the City was not awarded the grant, Bloomington remains committed to supporting the EV transition.
The City also regularly applies for grants as part of its participation in the Project 46 regional climate alliance. If awarded these grants, the funds are used to enable projects that support the residents of all Project 46 member governments, including Bloomington.
EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant: The City worked with other Project 46 members, including the cities of Nashville, IN and Columbus, IN, to submit an extensive grant application for 11 different project proposals. Check out the FAQ section below for more information about the specific projects. The City has yet to hear back from the EPA regarding if the grant will be awarded or not.
As climate change is becoming an increasing concern in the 2020s and the global climate continues to warm, the importance of local governments’ participation in climate action and resilience work will be paramount. Fortunately, with historic legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022, there are more grants available than ever for cities like Bloomington to leverage for important local climate work.
Goal CE 3. Develop new mechanisms for financing City climate action plan implementation.
Metrics
Total grant dollars applied for
As of 1/1/2025
Total grant dollars won
As of 1/1/2025
Public Infrastructure
External grants often fund ambitious, yet expensive infrastructure projects. The City may not be able to reasonably afford these projects on its own, so grants play an important role in bolstering improvements toward public infrastructure in the community.
Economic Development
Grants fund local programs—often supported by Bloomington-area workers and small businesses—can spur greater economic development and growth within the community. Local climate action is not just about helping the environment—but it also can serve to bolster the economy and create a more financially resilient city.
Racial & Social Equity
Many external grants come with requirements that the money be disbursed specifically to low-income and marginalized people. These grants can provide valuable funding to help the City of Bloomington tackle climate action with a lens toward racial & social equity, ensuring that each dollar spent maximizes its positive impact on Bloomington-area residents.
| Action | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Pursue federal, state, and and philanthropic grants to fund local climate action | |
 | Develop new funding pathways for a climate-first economy |
