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We design equitable programs, secure the funding to run them, and build our partners' capacity to sustain them.
Most partners come to us for one of these four services and stay for the others. They work in sequence, but you can start anywhere.
We design programs that address the disproportionate environmental, energy, and mobility burdens carried by underserved communities, starting with the people who live there.
Good programs stall without money. We identify the right opportunities, bring the partnership together, and lead the application end to end.
Aura is a program partner, not only a grant-writing resource. We shape fundable programs, convene the partners, lead competitive applications, and carry awarded work through implementation, evaluation, and reporting.
| Opportunity / Project | Year | Award |
|---|---|---|
| CAT Power Hub Job Training | 2024 | $1.0M |
| SMAQMD Mobility Hub – Green Technical Education & Employment | 2021 | $1.2M |
| SMAQMD Mobility Hub – Community Resource Project | 2025 | $1.8M |
| CARB Community Air Grant | 2024 | $300K |
| CEC IDEAL ZEV | 2022 | $500K |
| SMUD Sustainable Communities | 2026 | $370K |
| Valley Vision – We Prosper Together | 2025 | $335K |
Monitor public, philanthropic, utility, climate, workforce, transportation, and economic-development funding for fit and feasibility.
Turn opportunities into fundable concepts, convene the right partners, and define roles, budgets, deliverables, and community benefits.
Develop strategy, narratives, work plans, budgets, commitments, attachments, and final submission coordination.
Coordinate launch, schedules, finances, performance measurement, compliance, reporting, and continuous improvement.
Performance reflects 12 applications over the past five years that Aura led through the full grant-development process. The selected awards shown total more than $5.5 million.
We carry awarded work through delivery and leave our partners stronger than we found them.
When a grant pays for a building, the construction schedule and the grant agreement have to move together. Aura advises the owner so both stay on track.
Aura works for the owner, not the contractor. We help first-time facility owners evaluate change orders, requests for information, schedule revisions, and payments: what is being asked, what it costs, whether the grant can pay for it, and how to respond.
Grant-funded construction follows both the project schedule and the award terms. We track each cost to the right funding source and resolve eligibility and documentation questions before payment, reducing the risk of disallowed costs at closeout.
Aura Planning provides owner-side advisory and grant compliance support. We are not a licensed construction manager, contractor, architect, or engineer, and we do not provide design or engineering services. When a project needs drawings or stamped documents, we bring in licensed architects and engineers and coordinate their work alongside the owner.
Aura has secured planning permits directly. On building permits, Aura has supported the approval process while licensed architects and engineers prepared the drawings.
Most owner-side advisors have never administered a grant. Most grant administrators have never read a change order. Organizations building their first facility usually have to find both and hope they coordinate. Aura does both, which means eligibility questions get answered before a payment is approved rather than during closeout.
These seven focus areas describe where we work; the four services above describe how we help. Together, they show how the same full-cycle approach supports different kinds of environmental justice work.
The umbrella all six areas below sit under: programs that address disproportionate environmental, energy, health, and mobility burdens, starting with the communities most affected.
Staff training, durable systems, and partner coordination that sustain programs after closeout.
Zero-emission mobility hubs, EV charging, and access for transit-underserved communities.
Community-led needs assessment and outreach that translate lived experience into services.
Training and career pathways into clean energy, transportation, and advanced manufacturing.
Solar, storage, indoor air quality, and building performance in the neighborhoods that need it most.
Resource centers and resiliency hubs, delivered on budget, on schedule, and within award terms.
Explore a curated selection of programs, partnerships, and planning initiatives Aura is helping communities deliver.
ActiveA watershed and nature field-trip program helping Afghan refugee girls build naturalist skills, water confidence, environmental awareness, and a lasting connection to the American River.
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ActiveA manufacturing-focused technical education development plan co-designed with community, education, and industry partners.
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ActiveA community learning, employment, and awareness initiative focused on clean air and workforce pathways.
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ActiveThe Louise Perez Resource Center Mobility and Resiliency Hub, in partnership with SMAQMD and SMUD, integrates EVSE, solar, battery storage, and workforce training into an existing resource center.
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CompletedA zero-emission vehicle workforce training program designed to build pathways into clean transportation careers.
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CompletedA regional mobility hub strategy connecting clean transportation, charging, and community-serving infrastructure.
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CompletedA community-centered transportation assessment for identifying clean mobility gaps and implementation opportunities.
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CompletedA transportation needs assessment supporting cleaner, more accessible mobility for Sacramento Public Library communities.
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