Georgia BRIGHT is a bold, statewide initiative to deliver affordable solar energy and economic opportunity to communities across Georgia. Led by Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, the Georgia BRIGHT Communities Coalition consists of a dynamic and growing coalition of municipalities, nonprofits, solar companies, faith communities, implementation partners, and everyday citizens who are working together to build a cleaner, more equitable future. 

Capital Good Fund: Trusted Where We Go, Because We Go Where We Are Needed

For more than 15 years, Capital Good Fund has brought innovative and equitable financing to underserved communities across the country. With a mission to “create pathways out of poverty and advance a green economy through inclusive financial services,” Good Fund’s growth has always been in response to requests from partners to bring an existing product to a new place, or to create an entirely new product to meet an unmet need.

The Georgia BRIGHT origin story is a cold email from Alicia Brown, now the Director of Georgia BRIGHT but then the Clean Energy Program Manager for the City of Savannah, to Good Fund’s CEO, asking if he would be willing to consider coming to Georgia to bring solar to low-income families. Many Savannah residents were struggling with high energy bills and frequent power outages due to storms, but couldn’t access solar due to high upfront costs and limited access to financing. This challenge wasn’t unique to Savannah, but was true all across Georgia.

A First of Its Kind Program, Powered by a Statewide Coalition

As the concept that became Georgia BRIGHT began to take shape, more partners joined the Coalition, from cities like Atlanta, Athens, and Decatur to nonprofit organizations like Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and Georgia Conservation Voters. Together, this coalition developed the Georgia BRIGHT pilot program, which launched for households in September of 2023 and for community based organizations later that year. 

A Breakthrough, But Not the Finish Line

The Georgia BRIGHT pilots proved that solar can change lives. Together, we gave families certainty that critical medical devices will continue to operate, regardless of what is going on with the grid. We gave returning citizens the opportunity to build careers doing good, honest work in their communities. We reduced energy bills to less than $30 a month. But despite all of this amazing impact, we couldn’t realize our vision of making solar accessible to all Georgians. We needed something else to achieve Solar for All. 

The Solar for All Story

Between the summer and fall of 2023, the Georgia BRIGHT Coalition worked on building out a proposal for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All program. With nine figure grants at stake, the Coalition had the opportunity to dream big about how to serve everyone, from renters in apartments to families in homes with old, leaking roofs. 

When the application was finally submitted, the Coalition included Good Fund as the lead applicant; the Cities of Atlanta, Savannah and Decatur as named Coalition Members; and 91 additional partners who provided a letter of support. Today, the Coalition has been awarded $156 million to serve all of Georgia, and the Coalition continues to grow.  Together, these partners represent the breadth of Georgia’s communities—urban and rural, coastal and inland, large and small—all working toward shared climate, economic, and social justice goals.

Powering Buildings, Empowering Communities 

Georgia BRIGHT isn’t just about installing solar panels; it’s about transforming lives. The program reduces household energy burdens, supports clean energy jobs, and improves resilience to extreme weather, all while returning economic power to families. Through inclusive financing, outreach, and education, Georgia BRIGHT will help households access solar solutions that lower bills, strengthen communities, and build resilience for generations to come. If you’d like to join us, fill out our interest form here: [LINK] and tell us how you’d like to partner.