Couillard Solar Foundation Inc

When the Couillard Solar Foundation was first established, it was expected that we would distribute our available funds and then dissolve. After 5 years, the impact of our program has been significant for the growth of solar in Wisconsin, especially regarding solar for schools and other nonprofits. In 2021, we decided to revise our mission to one where we continue our important work until all Wisconsin nonprofits who want solar can have it.

Goal 1: Refocus our programs to better address the needs of underserved communities (people of color, children and seniors, low income groups in the very urban and very rural areas). We are proud of our work to date, but know that we can do a better job of assuring that all communities are aware of our program and have the means to take advantage of it.
Goal 2: Develop new income streams for the foundation that allow us to continue to support our existing and future programs. Because we were initially intending to run out the pool of funds and dissolve, we have not previously established a donor base. But with our new, refocused mission, we know we'll need more funds from diverse sources to continue this important work. We're in the process of developing the strategies we need to find this new funding.
Goal 3: Increase awareness of the foundation across the state to further our mission of education and advocacy regarding the benefits of solar for nonprofit organizations. We are working on an aggressive marketing program, working with our two program administrators and others to increase awareness of CSF and our mission.
Goal 4: Steadily increase the number of nonprofits gaining access to solar in Wisconsin. As we go forward, we're constantly looking at ways to add more value to our programs, and working with others to increase access to the grants we offer, while also looking at ways to conserve our funds by reducing costs in other areas.

Through our two grant programs, Wisconsin nonprofits are able to apply to receive up to half of the solar panels they need for their solar array. By supplying panels directly, instead of cash, the grantees get the advantage of receiving solar panels at wholesale, rather than retail prices, saving them even more and a direct cash donation.

We work with two other respected renewable energy organizations in Wisconsin, RENEW WI and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). These organizations are able to amplify our message to nonprofits looking for assistance and coordinate with the nonprofits, installers and other supporters.

A crucial element of both programs is the post installation promotion carried out by the grant recipients as they have ceremonies and educational events promoting their new solar array and showing their communities the benefits of solar. We are developing a marketing plan that will allow us to strengthen our relationship with previous grant recipients in order to educate and persuade others to participate in the program as well.

Going forward CSF hopes to partner with many of these grant recipients to promote Solar for Good and Solar on Schools to new possible recipients and potential supporters, through presentations, more active promotions and the development of educational materials that can be shared with grant recipients.

As for additional income, we have developed a new solar product, the CSF solar canopy, which we plan to sell to any potential buyer (residential, commercial, municipal) with the net proceeds going directly back to funding our programs. This canopy will also be incorporated into our grant programs as an option for nonprofits.

And we have strengthened our post grant surveys to include information that we can use to create better stories about the benefits of solar for nonprofits, and we plan to use that information to improve our visibility as well as educate about what solar can do for organizations in Wisconsin.

We have recently hired an Executive Director. She has many years of marketing and communications skills as well as organizational and process improvement experience. She's been working on establishing the infrastructure for the foundation so that we can improve our efficiency and continue to run our existing programs smoothly.

We have a dedicated Board of Directors, willing to work to help us achieve our goals, but we also plan to expand our Board in the next year, to bring in the broader range of experience we need to transition to our new mission.

We also have the experience and knowledge of solar panels and products, to make good purchasing decisions and create our new product for sale. We have extensive relationships with Wisconsin installers, renewable energy experts, and community representatives, because of our work to date. Our new product has been very well received and we already have a significant level of interest in future purchases.

We do have funds in reserve to continue our work for the next two years. We feel that gives us enough time to establish new income streams (including a robust donor program). We expect that as this income is established, it will allow us to hire additional staff as needed.

We know that we have a strong story, which fits in with current philanthropic interests in supporting efforts to mitigate climate change, social justice and efforts to assure that our children are provided with the education, information and tools needed to continue to deal with the effects of climate change on their world. We are passionate about making sure that solar is an important part of our energy grid and that nonprofits are able to participate fully in the benefits solar provides to everyone.

The Couillard Solar Foundation began giving donations in 2017. Since then we've provided grants to over 150 nonprofits in Wisconsin. Grant recipients include public schools, from elementary to colleges, churches and other houses of worship, service organizations such as YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, senior and low income housing projects, humane societies, veterans organizations, libraries and other community buildings, and many more. Many of these projects would not have happened if they hadn't received a grant from CSF.

In total we've helped add over 9 megawatts of solar power to Wisconsin's energy landscape.

We've donated over $1.8 million and contributed to the installation of nearly $19 million in solar projects, creating jobs for local solar installers and others.