Crowd-Powered Microgrant Program Launches; Will Seed Grassroots Climate Projects

Online, September 15, 2009 (Newswire.com) - MIDDLEBURY, VT - Brighter Planet, a clean-energy startup that helps people adopt climate-friendly practices, today ratcheted up the ability for projects to garner funding. The new Brighter Planet Project Fund, an innovative monthly microgranting program, aims to surface worthy recipients for awards to combat climate change.

"Over the past two years, we heard from thousands of individuals and community organizations about their efforts to build a 21st century low-carbon economy," said Patti Prairie, Brighter Planet's CEO. "All too often, motivated individuals and organizations with smart ideas to help fight climate change lack access to seed money. The Brighter Planet Project Fund is designed to help grow such grassroots activities."

Donations and investments in environmental causes are down sharply. Individual and corporation giving declined in 2008 for the first time in 22 years, according to American Association of Fundraising Counsel's Annual Report on Philanthropy, with environmental and animal causes gleaning only 2% of donations. Natural Marketing Institute reported that 5% fewer LOHAS consumers, the population most interested in sustainability, gave to charities in 2008 than in 2007. Deloitte's 2009 Global Venture Capital Survey found that VCs are investing less and favoring later over early stage companies. Cleantech investments tumbled 44% in the first quarter of 2009 from the same period of 2008, according to Cleantech Group.

"In these challenging economic times, good ideas can get left by the side of the road for lack of funding," said climate activist Billy Parish, a member of Brighter Planet's Project Selection Committee. "The new Project Fund will shine a spotlight on them and help many get jump-started."

Powered by Brighter Planet's social website to nominate and vote on projects of merit, the Project Fund will grant $5,000 in October. The company's 100,000-plus customers using its products and services endow the fund. As revenues increase, so too will the size of the endowment and awards. Anyone sponsored by a U.S. non-profit or business can nominate a climate project. Once vetted, the nomination joins a project leader board and community members vote each month on award recipients.

Initial nominations include a project by Energy Action Coalition to help citizens engage congressional representatives on clean energy legislation, an educational program sponsored by Coal River Mountain Watch to highlight economic alternatives to West Virginia coal extraction, and a green workers initiative to link students with the Tuscon-Southern Arizona Black Chamber of Commerce. Climate Solutions submitted a project that aims to create resources for small businesses to develop sustainably, and the Michigan Land Use Institute seeks to inspire the local community during the 350 Day of Climate Action on October 24th.