Should Portland amend the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefit Fund Climate Investment Plan?

The purpose of the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) is to provide a consistent, long-term funding source and oversight structure to invest in climate action projects, in alignment with the City's climate action goals, that support environmental justice and environmental, social, and economic benefits for all Portlanders, including the development of a diverse and well-trained workforce and contractor pool to perform work that reduces or sequesters greenhouse gases (GHGs). PCEF is guided by a five-year Climate Investment Plan (CIP), first adopted in 2023, that directs investments across strategic programs and community grants. The CIP also establishes performance measures and goals, provides transparency and public education, and offers greater certainty to businesses, nonprofit organizations, government partners, and residents who are critical to PCEF's success.The PCEF Committee, a cohort of nine volunteers, guides program implementation and recommends the Climate Investment Plan, and amendments to it, to City Council for adoption.City Council first adopted the CIP in September 2023 following extensive community engagement and multiple rounds of input from residents, businesses, subject matter experts, government partners, and community organizations. This engagement helped ensure the CIP's investment approach addresses the needs of Portland residents most impacted by climate change. In December 2024, City Council amended the CIP to include allocations for City-led strategic programs (the 2024 City Climate Projects) and to fund a competitive grant solicitation called Collaborating for Climate Action. Following the 2024 CIP amendment, PCEF established an annual CIP review and update process to evaluate progress and recommend adjustments when appropriate. This process is intended to incorporate lessons learned, align outcomes and goals, and optimize resource allocation over time. Because implementation is still getting underway for several CIP programs, this initial update cycle emphasizes creating a replicable evaluation framework and making limited adjustments based on early implementation and performance data. The PCEF Committee recommends an amendment with adjustments in the following categories:Funding adjustments: increases or decreases to optimize allocations based on demand and program implementation status.Goal adjustments and scope refinements: updates to add clarity, specificity, and incorporate lessons learnedTechnical changes: revisions to correct errors or inaccuraciesCity budget adjustments: updates to align with adopted City budget The ordinance directs BPS to implement the programs with changes as outlined in the amended CIP. The BPS Director is authorized to amend the budget allocations within the Climate Investment Plan, including related scopes of work, as recommended by the PCEF Committee, provided those amendments distribute no more than 10% of a given program's allocation while maintaining the overall allocations of funds across funding categories.To date, PCEF has allocated $1.71 billion through Community Grants and Strategic Programs. The Cooling Portland program has provided over 20,000 lifesaving cooling units to low-income Portlanders in response to increasingly extreme heat events. 223 nonprofit organizations have been awarded funding for projects in energy efficiency, renewable energy, workforce and contractor development, transportation decarbonization, regenerative agriculture, and green infrastructure. The design and framework of the CIP is in strong alignment with City goals outlined in the Climate Emergency Workplan, the 100% Renewable Energy resolution, Prosper Portland's Advance Portland, as well as State of Oregon goals for 100% Clean Energy.

The reviewed sources do not clearly identify every existing policy, service, contract, or obligation that would remain unchanged.

This proposal concerns climate & environment and requires action through Portland’s public legislative process.

The 2023 CIP was developed with deep community engagement, including multiple rounds of input from residents, businesses, subject matter experts, government partners, and community organizations. The PCEF Committee, a volunteer advisory body that reflects the diversity of Portland, provides community oversight of the program and recommends the CIP, and amendments to it, to City Council. Through the annual review process, the Committee assessed progress, incorporated lessons learned, and recommended targeted adjustments in transparent, public meetings. The annual review process also ensured there was a structured way to measure progress, learn from results, and make timely adjustments.Most of the annual update work was led by the Evaluation Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the PCEF Committee. Subcommittee members reviewed CIP programs and informed draft CIP amendment recommendations. The draft amendment recommendations were released for public comment from October 20, 2025, to November 5, 2025. Feedback was primarily collected through an online survey. Members of the public could also provide input via email or through verbal testimony at a PCEF Committee meeting. A synthesis of the public comment is available here:https://www.portland.gov/bps/cleanenergy/grant-committee/documents/cip-update-public-comment-synthesis-nov-12-2025/download.