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To encourage what we consider to be the next frontier in sustainable design, we have raised the bar for applications to our Green Building Initiative.

Our green planning grants will now support green renovation and historic preservation. They also will support new construction that aims to:

• achieve Platinum LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – certification or
• meet the Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge or
• operate as a net-zero energy-efficient facility or one that produces as much energy as it consumes each year.

“Environmental conservation – sustainable building practices, environmental stewardship and sound land-use planning – is a core value of the Kresge Foundation,” says Sandy Ambrozy, a member of the Environment team. “We want to encourage nonprofit organizations to create high-performance facilities – buildings that maximize efficiencies.”

The United States Green Building Council reports that buildings of all types in the United States use 65% of the nation’s electricity and 12 % of the country’s water. Buildings also are responsible for more than 30% of carbon-dioxide emissions and 30% of the waste that is sent to landfills.

Planning grants cover the following costs:

• Professional services to facilitate the design planning meetings or charrettes during the pre-design period
• Energy analysis and modeling
• Water use analysis and modeling
• Ecological site planning
• Commissioning expenses associated with the planning process
• Initial documentation and LEED registration with the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Kresge Foundation launched its Green Building Initiative in 2003 to promote sustainable building processes and sound land-use planning in the nonprofit arena.

For more information, visit the Green Building Initiative.