Powering New Haven’s Future Through Local Leadership and Clean Energy Justice
Updated: Oct 14
A collaboration between The Center for Inclusive Growth and the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) is planting seeds that could grow a clean and just energy future for New Haven and beyond.
In December 2024, the Center for Inclusive Growth and CBEY partnered to recruit a cohort of people from New Haven to participate in the Yale Clean and Equitable Energy Development (CEED) Certificate Program. The Center for Inclusive Growth, which was founded, in part, to drive local innovation and equity, signed on to help identify high-potential participants and, crucially, to defray the cost for New Haven residents – removing a significant financial barrier to entry.
Out of that joint recruitment effort came Jameson Davis, an environmental attorney and founder of the African American Society, who has become an ambassador for the CEED program. Davis's enrollment in CEED was made possible by the financial support provided by The Center for Inclusive Growth.
Davis came to The Center and CEED with a big idea. He wanted to transform the then-Hamden headquarters of his organization into more than a place for community meetings and events. He wanted to make it a place where people could safely ride out the next environmental emergency that hits New Haven County.
“I wanted to make our headquarters into a community resilience hub, anchored by a solar microgrid and battery storage,” he said, “but I lacked the necessary developmental expertise.”
Davis said he understood the technical aspects of his vision, but he knew he was missing something when it came to translating his vision to potential funders. He needed to speak a new language – he needed to speak the language of investors.
“The program offered the rare intersection of community values and energy systems education,” Davis said. “It gave me the tools I needed to build trust with funders and attract impact investors.”
Through the certification program, Davis developed critical contacts and learned new information that helped him create a blueprint for the resilience hub project that he is advancing. Located near the Newhallville section of New Haven, the resiliency hub project intentionally focuses on this underserved community and centers energy justice, food sovereignty utilizing the African American Society’s 83 acres of leased farmland, and innovation.
Dawn Leaks Ragsdale, executive director of The Center for Inclusive Growth, said Davis’ project is exactly the kind of innovative, locally sourced solution The Center was established to advance.
“Through its relationship with Yale, The Center for Inclusive Growth has been able to open vital pathways for local innovators like Jameson to scale solutions to some of Greater New Haven’s most pressing challenges,” she said. “By removing financial barriers and intentionally recruiting local talent, we ensure these solutions are community-led and equitable.”
Davis said the resiliency hub project sends a powerful message: resilient, clean energy solutions should be led by the people they are meant to serve, and owned by the community.
“This model is designed to generate and distribute clean energy at an affordable rate, directly combating energy poverty in Connecticut,” Davis said. “The foundational support from CEED was instrumental in helping me gain the know-how I needed to advance this vision. The financial support of The Center was critical to my ability to enroll in CEED.”
The Center for Inclusive Growth is currently working with CBEY to develop a full New Haven CEED cohort for 2027.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CEED CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Catch the replay of our virtual information session.
Information you should know before you apply:
SPONSOR DISCOUNT CODE: INCLUSIVEGROWTH
Final application deadline: Nov. 9 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Admissions decisions: on or about Nov. 23
