The Obama Administration launched Recovery.gov as a way for the public to track spending and progress of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – also called the “Recovery Act” and the “Stimulus Package.” If you are interested in learning how that spending could relate to nonprofits or public agencies, a few good resources are already available. Many public agencies responsible for distributing funds to state programs and nonprofits, through grants and loans, have already set up Web sites.

Recovery Act Resources for Nonprofits

Zimmerman-Lehman – “The Stimulus Package: Is Your Nonprofit Receiving Funds (or Should It)”

Council on Nonprofits – Special Reports on Economic Stimulus & Recovery

The National Endowment for the Arts has posted grant guidelines for $50 million in Recovery Act grant funds.

Apollo Alliance – Describes how $113.5 billion will benefit “green-collar” jobs and training, cleaner energy, energy efficiency, high-mileage electric vehicles and renewable energy over the next two years.

National Recreation and Park Association – How the Recovery Act will benefit parks and recreation.

California State Water Board – $280 million for “shovel ready” projects in California that will create jobs immediately. At least 20% must go toward “green projects” – water efficiency, energy efficiency, green infrastructure, and environmentally innovative projects.

U.S. Department of Education – Overview and Implementation

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Overview and Grant Programs

U.S. Department of Justice – Including $1 billion to the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program; $225 million to the Office on Violence Against Women

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund – Including $3 billion in New Markets Tax Credits and an additional $90 million for the CDFI grant program.

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services – Including more than $15 billion in federal assistance to help states cover the costs of Medicaid programs.

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The Sundance Channel, founded by Robert Redford, recently launched the first prime time programming block dedicated to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Hosted by Simran Sethi, an environmental journalist and writer and host of Ethical Markets, and MacArthur fellow Majora Carter, founder and executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, “The Green” airs Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. West Coast time. The channel also features a discussion board and video segments online.

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On May 22, 2007 Van Jones, President and Founder of the Oakland-based Ella Baker Center, testified in Washington D.C. at a special hearing called, “Economic Impacts of Global Warming: Green Collar Jobs.” He was there to push Congress to make “clean energy jobs” and “green-collar job training” for urban youth and low income communities a top priority.

He reported back on his trip to Washington in the Ella Baker Center blog, Grist Magazine, and the Huffington Post.

Jones defines a “green collar” job as a “vocational job in an ecologically responsible trade.” With the increasing demand for alternative energy sources such as solar panels, waste reduction, materials re-use and recycling, and sustainable agriculture, skills in these trades will give unprecedented opportunities to low income communities – if training programs are designed and delivered effectively.

At the hearing, Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (CA-32), a Member of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, delivered a statement called, “Green Jobs Will Create Pathways Out of Poverty.” Congresswoman Solis is currently building support for federal funding of “green collar job training” programs, which would help give low income communities access to the skills they will need to compete in the new green economy.

According to Jones, The Ella Baker Center initially introduced the concept of green collar job training as a pathway out of poverty to Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this year, which led to the beginnings of legislative language by Congresswoman Solis. The Center is expecting the proposal to be a part of the historic U.S. energy package, to be introduced on July Fourth (“Energy Independence Day“).

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Yesterday evening the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco presented a panel called: “Green Capital: Profit and The Planet?” Panelists included Peter Liu, Founder of the New Resource Bank; Hunter Lovins, faculty member of the San Francisco-based Presidio School of Management and co-author of Natural Capitalism; Steve Pinetti, Senior Vice President of Kimpton Hotels; and Will Rogers, President of The Trust for Public Land.

My guess is that the question mark in the program title asks: Can businesses implement green and socially progressive best practices without cutting into profits? The answer was a resounding yes. And in many cases, businesses should save money or make more.

Almost any discussion about values-driven business and sustainability will refer to the “triple bottom line,” also known as “People, Planet, Profit.” In the case of Kimpton Hotels, Steve Pinetti described why his company is committed to this approach to business and lessons learned along the way. From his illustrations of Kimpton’s experiences integrating environmental and socially-responsible principles into the business model must lead to a solid and strategic implementation that reaches everyone from the employees to guests. For the program to succeed, the third P – profit, relies on the most effective investment in the first two Ps – “ People and Planet.

It took six months to identify the program and one year to incorporate it into the business plan. It also took one year to find adequate cleaning supplies for the rooms. For example, they knew that if the cleaning agent did not foam, then the cleaning staff would think it was not working and likely use an excessive amount. Now after 3 years, they have identified 44 viable alternatives for their supplies. And according to a guest survey, 16% said that they were there because of the company’s environmental commitment. Based on the responses to their program, Pinetti firmly believes that “people want to do business with folks who share the same values.”

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