Green Retrofits Signal the Future in Cities’ Push Towards Decarbonization By Abram Mamet / NH&RA April 2023 Green Retrofitting in Practice Well-considered and meaningfully executed retrofits have become increasingly important as communities across the country seek out effective climate resilience strategies. States like Massachusetts, New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania are at the forefront of that movement, having each enacted legislation or …
ICAST Experts Weigh In: Available Federal Tax Credits, Incentives, and Grants for Underserved Communities
ICAST Experts Weigh In: Available Federal Tax Credits, Incentives, and Grants for Underserved Communities By Ravi Malhotra: Founder and President| Mr. Malhotra’s focus is finding financially sustainable models to solve the affordable housing crisis while tackling climate change. He manages the design and implementation of all ICAST programs and initiatives. Kristen Cheriegate: Senior Policy Analyst | Ms. Cheriegate navigates ICAST through …
ICAST Secures Contracts to Grow its Clean Energy Efforts in Underserved Communities
ICAST Secures Contracts to Grow its Clean Energy Efforts in Underserved Communities ICAST has been busy forming new partnerships with federal and state agencies, utility companies, and others to deliver clean energy retrofits in multifamily affordable housing (MFAH). It has also been working with its existing partners to act on new opportunities. A few highlights of ICAST’s recent efforts are …
April 2023 Policy Blog
Kristen Cheriegate | ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* Biden-Harris Administration Announces $550 Million to Advance Environmental Justice The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $550M from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to expedite investments through EPA’s new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) program. This program will fund up to 11 entities to serve as grantmakers that …
Working to Revitalize Democracy: New Power Project
Working to Revitalize Democracy: New Power Project The New Power Project is a relatively new initiative that will seek out values-driven individuals who have grown up in marginalized or underserved communities and help them run for elective office. It will work to break down barriers that so often prevent these individuals from seeking and winning public office, such as a …
How Utility Programs Can Drive Electrification and Energy Efficiency in Multifamily Affordable Housing
by Ravi Malhotra, Founder & President, ICAST Originally published in NH&RA’s Tax Credit Advisor Magazine, December 2022 While the federal, state and local governments are picking up the pace in their decarbonization efforts, very few of those programs, and even fewer utility rebate programs, specifically target multifamily housing. Unless the multifamily sector acts, it runs the risk of missing out …
ICAST Experts Weigh In: The Inflation Reduction Act: Potential for Scaling Solar in Underserved Communities
ICAST Experts Weigh In: The Inflation Reduction Act: Potential for Scaling Solar in Underserved Communities By Sam Lipman | ICAST Director of Solar Programs Mr. Lipman is responsible for the development of shared solar projects, thus furthering ICAST’s work to help underserved communities benefit from clean energy solutions. While solar PV generation in the U.S. has grown dramatically, this growth has not …
2022 ICAST Annual Report
Read the ICAST 2022 Annual Report: 2022 ICAST Annual Report
ICAST’s AmeriCorps VISTA Program: Meet the VISTA Members
ICAST’s AmeriCorps VISTA Program: Meet the VISTA Members Since 2021, ICAST has been a host site for Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members. Some VISTA members from that first year went on to other organizations, while some stayed with ICAST. Recently, new VISTA members joined the team. Their hard work and dedication help us reduce low-income households’ energy burdens, preserve affordable housing, and …
Funding for Green Upgrades and Preservation
By Ravi Malhotra, Founder and President, ICAST NH&RA, March 2023 Engaging Multifamily Owners The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with approximately $35 billion that is relevant to multifamily affordable housing. These funds are for emissions reduction projects, and multifamily housing can access them to facilitate green upgrades for affordable housing preservation. Through two separate programs, …