Henry L. Hillman Foundation has announced the launch of the Powered & Prepared Initiative, a new $4.5 million effort designed to help essential service providers across southwestern Pennsylvania strengthen resilience against severe weather and prolonged power outages.
The initiative will award up to fifteen $300,000 grants to nonprofit and municipal organizations seeking to implement backup power solutions tailored to their operational needs. Eligible solutions may include solar power systems, fixed generators, portable generators, battery storage, and other innovative energy technologies.
The Powered & Prepared Initiative was developed in response to increasingly severe storms impacting the Pittsburgh region and surrounding communities. In April 2025 alone, powerful storms caused more than 679,000 customer outages after high winds and heavy rain damaged critical infrastructure throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.
“After last year’s storms, our team heard from organizations that had suffered significant setbacks because of power outages,” said David K. Roger, president of Henry L. Hillman Foundation. “Food pantries were forced to throw away perishable food. Senior centers and shelters were unable to operate without electricity to operate elevators, air conditioning, or lights.”
One organization directly impacted was Family House, a nonprofit that provides housing for patients and families traveling to Pittsburgh for medical care. Following a 38-hour outage affecting more than 150 guests, the organization installed a backup generator with support from the Hillman Foundation. During subsequent storms, the generator allowed Family House to maintain uninterrupted operations.
Carrot is supporting the initiative through the Carrot Platform and providing program design, program branding, program development, and program management to help ensure an open, transparent, and fair process for applicants and evaluators alike.
Organizations interested in applying must register at poweredandprepared.org by 5:00 p.m. EST on August 26, 2026, and submit applications by 5:00 p.m. EST on September 17, 2026. Final awardees are expected to be announced in spring 2027.
Learn more about the Powered & Prepared Initiative at:
https://www.poweredandprepared.org/
