Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light

Background

Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light was founded in July 2013 as  a nonprofit state affiliate of Interfaith Power & Light, a national network founded in 1998 that includes over 40 state and regional affiliates. In January 2025, the national Interfaith Power and Light organization suspended its central office operations due to financial challenges, though state affiliates including Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light continued to operate independently. ^{4 5 6}

Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light operates a native tree distribution program in partnership with the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. From 2020-2025, Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light reported distributing over 250,000 native trees through its volunteer network, with more than 16,000 trees distributed in spring 2024 alone. The program received funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Growing Greener Program. ^{7 8}

The organization also operates a fellowship program for undergraduate students seeking learning opportunities in environmental education, conservation, advocacy, interfaith organizing, and nonprofit skills. According to Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light’s materials, the fellowship program emphasizes left-of-center climate policy advocacy and critical race theory-aligned notions of equity in environmental policy. ⁹

Advocacy

Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light engages in public policy advocacy on climate and environmental issues. In April 2022, Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light joined 22 other Pennsylvania and national climate groups in a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calling on the Biden administration to strengthen regulations on carbon emissions from power plants. Executive director Katie Ruth stated, “The sacredness of people and planet is a value held in common across many religious traditions. Pennsylvanians of faith want to see bold climate action from the Biden administration.” ¹⁰

The organization has encouraged churches and faith communities to install weather-dependent energy. Executive director Katie Ruth stated, “Churches are massive holders of land and resources—some of the biggest land-holding or asset-holding groups in the world.” ¹¹

Leadership

As of 2026, Katie Ruth was executive director of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light. As of 2024, the board of directors included Cynthia Davidson, Sarah Klinetob Lowe, Vanessa Lowe, Rabia Harris, and Matthew Carlson. ¹²

Financials

According to its tax return, in 2024 Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light reported $271,190 in revenues, $231,162 in expenses, and $80,642 in assets. The organization received $268,323 from contributions, representing 98.9 percent of total revenue. Of its expenses, Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light reported spending $78,640 on education workshops and programs focused on climate change, $59,980 on native tree distribution and habitat restoration, $39,320 on public policy advocacy, $9,830 on an annual program to tour Pennsylvania outdoors, and $9,830 on its annual conference. ¹³