“An intersectional approach to funding the world we want”
The Just Transition is about moving away from fossil fuels while also repairing the harms of an extractive system built on exploitation and racism. This fund helps make that transition possible.
Problem: So many great ideas just need a little financial support to get started. Some of the very best ideas from the New Economy are still just that—ideas. Fund siloing prevents the tackling of intersectional issues—how our economy is unable to stop using fossil fuels is directly tied to major equity issues in our culture, past and present legacies of racial discrimination in access to capital, and the concentration of wealth in big business. Billionaires run the game of innovation more than ever before, because it is easy to get money once you have money.
Just Transition for You and Me
The JUST TRANSITION FUND is seeking to make micro-investments to exciting community-driven projects in Washington State, giving them the first boost of financing they need to get off the ground. We plan to open up an application process in 2025 inviting community members in Washington State to submit their innovative ideas for a just transition, with personal and collective transformative potential. We want to make this fund available to small business owners who may not be eligible for traditional financing, but for whom much is possible when the community believes in them.
Projects to Propose
There are two main focus areas of this fund that we would like to invite proposals around:
(1) Building Capacity for Co-ops and Small Businesses: Cooperatives and locally-focused small businesses democratize community and help create a regenerative, circular economy. The Just Transition fund supports the dream of a fully regenerative and circular economy by providing capital investments in small business electrification and zero-waste projects.
Are you starting a cooperative pizza kitchen and need to buy your oven? Maybe you’re starting an electric bike or car share, to make transportation accessible and low carbon and you need start-up capital to buy your first vehicle. Perhaps you’re a landscaping company looking to switch to quiet, electric leaf blowers.
(2) 100% Electric, Zero-waste Buildings: Electrifying our built-environment is a central part of taking climate solutions into our own hands. We prioritize low-interest loans for families and business owners to “Make the Switch” to ductless heat pumps, induction stoves, heat pump-based hot water heaters, and community-driven projects to eliminate waste more sustainably. Learn more about Why to Electrify at www.kickgasnow.org