National Governors Association (NGA): Grantee Spotlight (Q3 2026)

The Giving Green Fund is awarding a restricted grant to the National Governors Association (NGA) for a summit and roadmap to help U.S. state governors deploy gigawatt-scale clean firm power and modernize their grids. NGA is the bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors, based in Washington, D.C.

NGA’s work falls within our philanthropic strategy of unleashing clean energy in the U.S. Please see Giving Green’s strategy report for more information, including potential risks and co-benefits, recommended sub-strategies, theory of change, funding need, and key uncertainties.

Last updated: October 2026

What Is the National Governors Association?

Founded in 1908, NGA is the bipartisan organization of the governors of the 55 U.S. states, territories, and commonwealths. Governors and their staff use it to share approaches to policies that reach across state lines, speak collectively on federal policy, and work through problems that cross state boundaries.

This grant supports the NGA Center for Best Practices, the association’s 501(c)(3) research arm, which works directly with governors and their senior policy staff. Its energy team provides state governments with policy analysis, strategic planning, and technical assistance on request, and convenes state energy advisors through the Energy Policy Learning Network and an annual Energy Policy Institute. The Center does not advocate for positions of its own. It convenes state officials and brings in outside experts, which gives it access to energy staff across the political spectrum.

What Are We Funding, and How Could It Help Address Climate Change?

We are primarily funding NGA to convene a summit for state energy leaders in 2027 that will pair two goals: (1) deploying gigawatt-scale generation quickly while limiting environmental impacts, and (2) using state authority to modernize an aging grid. Expert speakers will frame the technical picture for the state officials who set siting, permitting, and procurement policy. We believe this grant is timely because it will meet a wave of new state administrations—at least 21 new governors will take office after the 2026 elections—and help educate their energy staff on priorities for their first year. Other funded activities include:

• Onboarding calls with incoming state energy advisors in late 2026 on clean firm power and transmission
• Facilitated working sessions mapping technical and policy solutions for large-scale, reliable, clean baseload power
• A gigawatt-scale roadmap for governors, covering clean firm generation alongside grid modernization, transmission siting and permitting, and financing options
• Webinars on the roadmap for advisors who cannot attend the 2027 summit

States decide how quickly new generation and transmission get built, through siting, permitting, interconnection policy, and utility regulation. Reaching incoming governors and their staff while priorities are still forming will support faster deployment of clean firm generation and grid capacity for clean energy technologies, reduce the reliance on fossil fuel generators, and ultimately reduce power sector emissions.

Why Do We Think NGA Will Use This Funding Well?

NGA has served U.S. governors for more than a century, and transmission and grid policy have long been part of its energy work. The Center has published research and convened state experts on transmission siting, permitting, and financing, and more recently on grid-enhancing and advanced transmission technologies. NGA describes its energy team as seven subject matter experts with decades of combined experience in state energy policy, supporting all 55 members through the Energy Policy Learning Network, annual Energy Policy Institutes, in-state retreats, and technical assistance on request.

Due to NGA’s long history of trusted work with state governments, its research and convening on transmission siting and permitting, and its team’s technical expertise in state energy policy, we think NGA is well suited to help incoming administrations act on clean firm power and grid modernization in their first year in office.

We publish grant spotlights to offer transparency to Giving Green Fund donors and resources for those interested in the impact strategies each grant supports. Giving Green believes our Top Climate Nonprofits have the greatest impact potential for large, unrestricted gifts. For several reasons, we also disburse and recommend grants to other organizations surfaced through our research process for work that we believe is at least as impactful as grants to our top recommendations. 

This is a non-partisan analysis (study or research) and is provided for educational purposes. NGA is a registered nonprofit in the U.S.