People. Power. Progress.
Community Power Institute is not a finished idea. It is an invitation — to residents, partners, and communities ready to shape their own future.
Our Mission
Clean Energy That Works for People
We believe the clean energy transition only succeeds if it works for everyone — not just utilities and investors, but the families living next to coal plants, the workers whose livelihoods depend on them, and the neighborhoods that have been left behind by the old energy economy.
Community Power Institute organizes, advocates, and builds. We work alongside residents to retire polluting coal plants, develop utility-scale solar with battery storage, and ensure that clean energy creates local jobs, lowers electricity bills, and improves air quality in the communities we serve.
Our model is rooted in trust: we show up, we listen, and we stay. From the first community meeting to the day a solar farm comes online, we are partners — not consultants passing through.
Our Story
An Invitation
Community Power Institute is not a finished idea. It is an invitation.
Building community power is not the work of one organization. It is the shared responsibility of everyone who believes stronger communities create a stronger nation.
To residents who want to lead.
To nonprofits seeking stronger partnerships.
To educators preparing future leaders.
To researchers committed to practical knowledge.
To businesses investing in healthier communities.
To philanthropies pursuing lasting impact.
To public institutions committed to meaningful engagement.
To communities ready to shape their own future.
What We Stand For
Four principles guide every campaign, every coalition, and every conversation we have.
Community First
Every decision we make starts with one question: does this benefit the people who live here? We don't impose solutions — we build them together.
Environmental Justice
Pollution and climate risk fall hardest on low-income communities and communities of color. We prioritize those neighborhoods in everything we do.
Worker Dignity
Coal workers built this country's energy system. They deserve good jobs in the clean energy economy — not abandonment. We fight for retraining, severance, and solar jobs.
Science & Accountability
We ground every campaign in rigorous data — air quality studies, grid modeling, economic analysis — and hold utilities and regulators accountable to the facts.
Leadership Team
Suzanne Sapp
Rainie Ames
Chris Ames
This Is Your Movement Too
Whether you live near a coal plant, work in clean energy, donate to causes you believe in, or just want cleaner air for your kids — there is a place for you here.