News from BPRC’s Executive Director
April 2026
Introducing BPRC’s 2026 cohort!
Dear all,
Building on Momentum
Today, we are thrilled to announce the members of our 2026 Building Power Network (BPN) cohort—our largest yet. Check out our 2026 cohort here!
As you know, BPRC provides comprehensive strategy and technical assistance with an “inside-outside” approach for developing, implementing, and scaling clean energy and building decarbonization policies that deliver for working people.
This year, we received 30 applications from community organizations, unions, and local governments, and we accepted 26 partners working in 13 states plus Washington, D.C.
Since launching in 2024 with 7 core groups, BPRC has grown quickly. By 2025, the BPN expanded to 17 members—half of whom completed or commenced solar or building decarbonization projects. Along the way, our team coordinated feasibility studies for 50 project sites and helped draft 5 resolutions that unanimously passed City Council or School Boards.
Here's a brief overview of the model policies we're working on with our 2026 partners:
9 community-based organizations, coalitions, and local governments are seeking to implement a neighborhood-scale decarbonization pilot in California through SB1221.
9 power-building groups and local champions are working across 12 school districts on district-wide green schools initiatives, including solar and geothermal installations.
8 partners are piloting and scaling replicable campaigns—from green upgrades for public housing to thermal energy networks, virtual power plants, and mobile home retrofits.
We organize from the “outside,” collaborate deeply on the “inside,” and build the coalitions necessary to sustain ongoing investments in the clean energy economy. In short: we campaign, we implement, and we scale.
BPN Member Spotlights
Yesterday, April 22, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) celebrated Earth Day at one of the four schools slated to get solar this summer, a direct win from their contract and school board resolution campaign for green healthy schools. Speakers included Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter, School Board Member Anusha Thotakura, and 2 high school students selected for paid internships to help install the school's solar panels. The students are part of a green jobs pathway program that CTU and the community coalition won through their campaign. Read more in The Chicago Tribune and watch the press conference recording here.
“At the end of the day this is about more than buildings. It's about building a strong community, stronger workforce, and real opportunities for the next generation.”- Leticia Marcum, President of the El Paso Building & Construction Trades Council.
On Tuesday, April 21, Amanecer People's Project in El Paso, TX, secured a major victory in their Escuelas Frescas campaign. The El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) voted unanimously to pass an ambitious sustainability resolution committing to carbon neutrality across the district by 2050. Beyond this long-term goal, the resolution delivers immediate improvements for students: cooling plans for overheating classrooms, 10 near-term demonstration projects addressing extreme heat and sustainability, and accelerated HVAC modernization with climate-friendly technology. Watch Leticia Marcum’s testimony in support of the resolution and learn more.
In March, Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC) hosted a roundtable to celebrate recent victories for its Safe Green Schools campaign in Columbus, such as the passage of an ambitious Safe Green Schools policy in December and budget approval for the district’s first solar project which will commence later this year. Organizers and panelists also discussed how the state, school district, city, and community members will continue collaborating for green schools in Columbus. OOC is leading Earth Day events all month long at schools across the district.
Also in March, Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) brought Council Member Charles Allen to tour the home of a D.C. resident who participated in the home electrification and solar installation programs. The visit is part of WIN's ongoing effort to improve indoor air quality and support hundreds of residents in electrifying their homes across the district. Check out the video of CM Allen's home tour here!
In January, PODER, community members and elected leaders celebrated a major milestone for healthy resilient homes in San Francisco—the completion of the city’s first naturally occurring affordable, all-electric multi-family building. With Phase 1 complete, residents enjoy healthier air, protection from extreme heat and more efficient appliances including induction stoves, heat pump HVAC systems, and upgraded electrical panels. PODER and leaders from city government are advocating for a SB1221 neighborhood-scale decarbonization pilot in the Mission District.
Also Worth Noting
We are proud to welcome Shannen Maxwell as BPRC’s Policy & Program Manager. Shannen is a public policy and advocacy strategist from Mexico, MO—home to her family's fourth-generation pig and sheep farm. Before joining BPRC, she served as a Policy Advisor in the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Program Office, conducting outreach and education efforts for the IRA’s clean energy tax credits.
The Community Retrofit Collaborative (CRC), of which BPRC is a member, launched the Technical Assistance Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse is a new resource for city staff, community-based organization leaders, policy advocates, and others working on retrofit navigator programs. Organizations can apply for a range of technical assistance services spanning the full program lifecycle from design through implementation. Learn more here.
Climate & Community Institute released the Stop Green Build Green strategic framework and agenda that puts the working class in charge of climate and economic transformation. Learn more about using the framework here.
We'd love to hear from you—send us any questions or share this with a colleague who should be in the know.
Yong Jung