Municipal Investment Fund
The Municipal Investment Fund (MIF) is a transformative opportunity for communities across the US to develop finance-ready project pipelines that will unlock private investment, create jobs, lower energy costs, and improve life for all Americans.
In July 2025, ICLEI USA selected 49 MIF Communities!
ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability USA partnered with CGC to offer $11.75 million in market-building grants paired with technical support to help 49 communities — Local governments, Tribes, and their partner not-for-profit organizations across 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and four Tribal nations — develop public-private partnership plans that can accelerate the deployment of capital to clean energy projects. Grantees will gain partners, tools, and frameworks that will enable them to deploy clean energy projects in their communities to advance the creation of new jobs, affordable energy, clean air, and clean water.
For more information on the Municipal Investment Fund, contact MIF@iclei.org. To stay apprised of technical assistance offerings available beyond MIF awardees, subscribe to the ICLEI USA newsletter
Municipal Investment Fund Selected Communities
Select an awardee on the map to learn more!
Timeline
The application deadline was March 5, 2025, and ICLEI USA is not accepting additional applications at this time. ICLEI USA selected 49 communities in July 2025.
January 16th, 2025: Municipal Investment Fund Launches its Call for Proposals.
March 5th, 2025: Application period closed. MIF Receives 114 Applications Across 46 States and Tribal Nations Despite the Funding Freeze in March.
July 2025: CGC and ICLEI USA restructure MIF and announce their nationwide selection of $250,000 MIF grants.
September 2025 – November 2025: Selected awardees sign contracts.
October – June 2026: Grantees receive technical assistance from ICLEI USA, CGC, and trusted partners to develop public-private partnership plans and a pipeline of financeable projects.
February – April 2026: Public-private partnership plans delivered by communities.
2025 Application Criteria
To qualify for this opportunity, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Population Size: Communities must have a population of between 10,000 and 750,000 residents. Tribes are exempt from this requirement.
- LIDAC Designation: Applications must include at least one census tract designated as a Low-Income and Disadvantaged Community (LIDAC) as defined by the White House Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool or an equivalent definition under the U.S. EPA NCIF program.
- Whole Community Approach: Ability to pull together a coalition that can include entities such as community organizations, labor, businesses, utilities, renewable energy developers, and state and local lenders.
- Partnership Requirement: Applicants are encouraged to partner with a not-for-profit organization, preferably a local or state Green Bank.
- Receipt of Funds: The recipient of funds (either the community or not-for-profit partner) must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and registration in the Federal System for Award Management (SAM).
What’s Included
- Technical Assistance: Awardees receive expert guidance throughout the Municipal Investment Fund application process. Grantees will gain tools and frameworks to advance clean energy projects in their communities, a pipeline of clean energy projects geared for investment, and relationships with infrastructure investors and related practitioners.
- Market-Building Support: Awardees receive funding to develop public-private partnership plans that can accelerate the deployment of capital to NCIF-qualified projects.
Funding Scope and Requirements
The Municipal Investment Fund is contingent on the availability of funding. Market-building activities, as defined by the U.S. EPA as:
- Building the market for financeable qualified projects.
- Are not tied directly to Qualified Projects the Recipient intends to finance.
- Are necessary and reasonable for the deployment of Financial Assistance to Qualified Projects.
Predevelopment activities, as defined by the U.S. EPA as:
- Improving the likelihood of the grantee financing qualified projects.
- Tied directly to qualified projects grantees intend to finance.
- Being necessary and reasonable for the deployment of financial assistance to qualified projects.