City of St. Louis and Missouri Green Banc Awarded National Grant For Innovative Energy Investments

The City of St. Louis, in partnership with Missouri Green Banc, is proud to announce that our community has received a $250,000 market building grant from phase 1 of the Municipal Investment Fund to develop public-private partnership plans for building an innovative pipeline of investments to bring down energy prices for St. Louisans.

This grant was made possible by the Coalition for Green Capital and supported by ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI USA), which have created a public-private partnership to accelerate the development and construction of smart infrastructure projects across the country. The City of St. Louis, in partnership with Missouri Green Banc, was selected along with 49 other communities out of 114 applicants across 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and tribal nations.

The funding, paired with technical assistance, will help the City and Missouri Green Banc create public-private partnership plans that can develop finance-ready clean energy projects. Further, participation in this program opens the door to potential $2 million in additional funding to accelerate energy projects that benefit St. Louis residents and businesses.

This partnership will set the stage for financing vital clean energy projects such as municipal solar, programs that benefit low-income residents with high energy burdens, and create the processes needed with financial partners.

“St. Louisans suffer when energy bills soar and our weather gets more extreme,” said Mayor Cara Spencer. “By participating in this program, our community can take a leading role in addressing these problems that affect our day-to-day lives. This funding and public-private partnership will help us move toward affordable, reliable and clean energy solutions for our community. I want to thank Sustainability Director Elysia Russell for her continuing work to secure a greener future for St. Louis and for securing this funding.”

"The Missouri Green Banc and its affiliate, the Missouri Clean Energy District, were created to help communities like St. Louis get the financing tools they need to take control of their energy future,” said John Harris, President of the Missouri Green Banc. “This funding means lower energy bills, stronger neighborhoods and workforce, and a more resilient local economy.”

St. Louis was selected by ICLEI USA due to the potential direct impacts of the projects on the community, as well as the expected attractiveness of the project to both future grants and private investments. By receiving the grant, St. Louis will develop a smart, competitive and ultimately cost-effective plan that will be a win-win for both the community and potential investors. 

“We are honored to provide funding to communities across the United States under the MIF program so they can take initial steps toward bringing America clean, affordable energy in this time of crisis. We congratulate the winners of this vigorous competition. They are real heroes,” said Richard Kauffman, CEO of the Coalition for Green Capital.

“This funding is about unlocking local leadership and moving forward the kinds of projects that communities have been ready to deliver for years,” said Saharnaz Mirzazad, executive director of ICLEI USA. “These awards show how public-private partnerships can lead to real progress on energy, infrastructure, and economic resilience. These projects make communities safer, lower energy costs, and meet local needs head-on.”