TURNERS FALLS, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The 2026 FirstLight Sustains grant program is now accepting applications from western Massachusetts communities, schools, and nonprofit organizations.
Over the past three years, the program has awarded more than $240,000 to 50 organizations for projects focused on climate action, environmental education, public safety, and community-building initiatives in communities where FirstLight operates.
From FirstLight:
FirstLight Opens Fourth Year of Competitive Grant Program to Support Local Organizations Advancing Climate Action and Community Impact Projects
FirstLight Sustains supports projects that foster community building and environmental sustainability in areas across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania
Burlington, MA – February 5, 2026 – FirstLight, a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company, today announced that applications are now open for the fourth year of FirstLight Sustains. The competitive grant program is aimed at improving the quality of life in the communities where FirstLight facilities are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The fund will support and empower municipalities, schools, or local non-profit organizations that promote community building and sustainability within those areas. In the first three years of the program, FirstLight has awarded over $240,000 to 50 organizations. FirstLight is now looking to extend the grant program’s impact by encouraging new applicants.
FirstLight Sustains builds on the company’s long-standing legacy of giving to organizations and activities that support the communities around its facilities. The grant program provides an equitable process whereby qualified, reputable, and capable organizations can apply for and receive funding for activities and projects that meet the goal of improving the quality of life in those communities. The program focuses on two areas of giving: 1) Climate Action & Education and 2) Community Building.
“Supporting the towns, schools, and non-profit organizations that serve our communities is a priority for FirstLight,” said Andy Brydges, Director of Community Relations for FirstLight. “Through our FirstLight Sustains program, we are able to support projects that have a real, positive impact locally. Over the past three years, we have helped fund initiatives focused on public safety, education, and community culture, and we have seen firsthand the difference that support can make. We are always excited to hear new ideas and encourage organizations to apply if they have an initiative that can benefit our communities.”
Last year’s grantees made a positive impact in a variety of ways. In Western Massachusetts, grants supported several community organizations including the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, which used funding to install a mobile heating system for their historic Roundhouse. Additional grants supported the purchase of new AEDs and training for Northfield EMS. The 2025 FirstLight Sustains program also supported Sheffield Elementary School, Stone Soup Cafe, the Hilltown Youth Recovery Theater, the Turners Falls Fire Department, and the Foundation for Community Justice.
“We are really grateful for the 2025 FirstLight Sustains grant that enabled Foundation for Community Justice to launch a new program in Massachusetts, the Waiting Room Welcome program, which supports vulnerable children in our community during visits to incarcerated relatives,” said Lucinda Brown, volunteer Board Member for the Foundation for Community Justice. “Everyone involved with this initiative has come away with an appreciation of how powerful this seemingly small gesture is to all involved.”
The program is open to the municipalities and schools where FirstLight’s facilities are located, as well as eligible non-profit organizations that serve those towns. Community Building grants support efforts to enhance the communities in which people live and work through public art, placemaking, community services, and public safety. Climate Action & Education grants promote awareness of, appreciation for, or access to public conservation and sustainability efforts within our region, as well as protection, improvement, or restoration of natural resources.
The FirstLight Sustains program will award individual grants of up to $5,000. Grants that fulfill requirements for, or are eligible for, matching funds are encouraged. The 2026 FirstLight Sustains grant cycle will open on February 5, 2026, and all applications must be submitted for consideration by April 3, 2026. This year’s award recipients will be announced in May 2026.
Grant applications and additional information may be obtained by visiting: https://firstlight.energy/purpose/firstlight-sustains/
For questions regarding eligibility or the application process, please contact: FLSustains@firstlight.energy.
About FirstLight
FirstLight is a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company serving North America. With a diversified portfolio that includes over 1.6 GW of operating renewable energy and energy storage technologies and a development pipeline with 4+ GW of solar, battery, hydro, and onshore and offshore wind projects, FirstLight specializes in hybrid solutions that pair hydroelectric, pumped-hydro storage, utility-scale solar, large-scale battery, and wind assets. The company’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid by supporting the development, operation, and integration of renewable energy and storage to meet the world’s growing clean energy needs and deliver an electric system that is clean, reliable, affordable, and equitable. Based in Burlington, MA, with operating offices in Northfield, MA, New Milford, CT, Adrian, PA, Oshawa, ON, and Montréal, QC, FirstLight is a steward of more than 14,000 acres and hundreds of miles of shoreline along some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in North America. FirstLight has been wholly owned by PSP Investments since 2016. To learn more, visit www.firstlight.energy or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.