Clean energy programs for municipalities and local governments

We track 7 clean energy programs for municipalities and local governments that are open or ongoing right now (3 federal, 4 Ontario), plus 1 that take applications in intake windows. 2 of the open or ongoing programs publish a figure of $100K or more. They are ranked below by our 0 to 100 score, which weighs how much a program pays against how hard it is to win; last checked Oct 28, 2026.

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Ranked programs

8 open, ongoing or intake-based programs, best score first.

  1. Save on Energy Retrofit Program

    IESO (Save on Energy)

    Incentives for Ontario businesses, institutions, multi-residential and agricultural facilities that cut electricity use. Prescriptive (fixed per measure) and Custom...

    OngoingOntarioOther incentives
    46
    Strong

  2. Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP)

    Transport Canada

    Point-of-sale incentives for Canadians, organizations and businesses buying or leasing an eligible new electric vehicle. It replaces the closed iZEV program.

    OngoingFederalOther incentivesUp to $5K
    45
    Strong

  3. First Nations Community Building Retrofit Program

    IESO (Save on Energy)

    Energy-efficiency retrofits for community buildings in on-reserve First Nations.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $330K
    41
    Strong

  4. Municipal Energy Plan Program

    Ministry of Energy and Mines

    Funds Ontario municipalities to develop a new community energy plan (Stream 1) or update an existing energy plan (Stream 2). It does not fund implementing existing plans.

    OpenOntarioGrantsUp to $90K
    38
    Strong

  5. Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit

    Canada Revenue Agency / Natural Resources Canada

    Refundable credit of up to 15% of capital cost of eligible clean electricity property (generation, storage, transmission), open to taxable corporations and also to...

    OngoingFederalOther incentives
    31
    Worth a look

  6. Save on Energy XLerate

    IESO (Save on Energy)

    Large-scale energy-efficiency incentive for industrial, municipal, institutional and healthcare projects, replacing the Industrial Energy Efficiency Program.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $15M
    29
    Worth a look

  7. Northern REACHE (Northern Responsible Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity)

    Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC)

    Funds clean energy projects and related capacity building and planning in northern communities to reduce reliance on diesel for heating and electricity.

    OngoingFederalGrants
    23
    Long shot

  8. Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF)

    Environment and Climate Change Canada

    A ten-year fund backing projects that avoid, restore or better manage ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, peatlands and grasslands to cut greenhouse gas emissions...

    Intake-basedFederalGrants
    14
    Long shot

How we rank

Each program gets a score from 0 to 100 that asks how much money you can realistically get for how little work. It blends the largest published amount (loans count for less because they are repaid), how much effort an application takes, how likely an eligible applicant is to succeed and how many people qualify. Closed programs score zero and programs without a published dollar figure get a neutral value, never a guess. Scores are editorial estimates, not predictions of approval.

Questions

How many clean energy programs for municipalities and local governments are open right now?

Of the 25 clean energy programs for municipalities and local governments in our database, 7 are open or ongoing and 1 take applications only in intake windows. The rest are closed, paused or of unknown status, so they are not ranked on this page. Counts reflect our last check on Oct 28, 2026; programs can change without notice.

What is the largest published amount among these programs?

Save on Energy XLerate publishes the largest figure on this page, shown as "Up to $15M". Published figures are program maximums, caps or limits, not what an applicant should expect to receive; many programs pay a share of eligible costs and amounts depend on your project and eligibility.

Which clean energy programs for municipalities and local governments rank highest?

Right now the top three by our score are Save on Energy Retrofit Program (46, Strong), Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (45, Strong), First Nations Community Building Retrofit Program (41, Strong). The score combines the size of the published amount, how much work an application takes, how likely an eligible applicant is to succeed and how many people qualify.

Do I have to pay this money back?

It depends on the program. Grants and incentives are generally not repaid, loans always are, and some contribution agreements are partly or fully repayable, so read the terms of each program. Among the 7 open or ongoing programs here, 2 are in our Grants category, 0 are loans and 5 are other incentives such as tax credits and rebates.

Are these federal or Ontario programs?

3 of the 7 open or ongoing programs here come from the federal government and 4 from the Ontario government. Both levels can usually be combined, but many programs have stacking rules that cap total government funding for the same costs, so check them before you apply.

Is this an official government website?

No. Grants & Loans Finder is an independent research tool. Each program page links to the official source, and applications are always made with the government agency or lender that runs the program.

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Estimates; confirm on the official page. Independent research tool, not a government website. Data last checked Oct 28, 2026. Grants & Loans Finder.