Interfaith Power and Light

Several state Interfaith Power and Light affiliates also embraced Black Lives Matter (BLM) activism following George Floyd’s death. After both the Regeneration Project and the national Interfaith Power and Light shut down in 2025, activism continued through state-level chapters. ^{5  6  7  1}

Background

The Interfaith Power and Light national network originated from the Regeneration Project, a left-of-center organization that advocated that religious people become more concerned about environmental issues. The Regeneration Project created the Interfaith Power and Light campaign in 1998 with support from Episcopal Power and Light and Grace Cathedral, a coalition of left-of-center Episcopal churches aggregated to invest in weather-dependent energy sources. ¹

In 2025, the Regeneration Project folded and transferred its remaining funds and mission to Interfaith Power and Light. ⁸ However, the national coalition of Interfaith Power and Light also closed in 2025 following the Trump administration’s decision to cut federal funding for certain environmentalist groups. This left the California Interfaith Power and Light chapter as the central organizational hub for the Regeneration Project’s activism and the organizing body for the 40 Interfaith Power and Light state affiliates. ^{7  9  10  11} As of May 2026, all Interfaith Power and Light activism took place at the state-chapter level. ¹²

Activities

Regeneration Project and Interfaith Power and Light were organized to spread global warming awareness and activism through a network of churches and faith communities across the United States, while calling for weather-dependent energy alternatives, such as solar. ¹

Environmentalism

When both national groups were still active, the Regeneration Project and Interfaith Power and Light organized showings of Al Gore’s global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth in 4,000 churches. ² The national Interfaith Power and Light also organized tree planting opportunities and helped install solar panels at churches across the country. ¹³ It also convened an annual Faith Action Climate Week conference and published an educational website called Cool Harvest. ^{3  14}

According to a 2022 annual report, both Interfaith Power and Light and the Regeneration Project were at that time members of the U.S. Climate Action Network (US-CAN), a left-of-center environmental advocacy group. ⁴ Several of the state chapters of Interfaith Power and Light remain members of US-CAN. ¹⁵

Black Lives Matter (BLM)

Following the police-involved death of George Floyd, several of the state chapters of Interfaith Power and Light expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The groups argued that environmentalism and racial issues were related. In June 2020, executive director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light and Franciscan Sister Joan Brown argued that Christian teachings on doctrine and the phrase “I can’t breathe” force Christians to increase their concern for the environment. The Georgia, Minnesota, and Washington Interfaith Power and Light chapters published similar statements. ^{5  6  16  17}

Also in June 2020, executive director of Alabama Interfaith Power and Light Michael Malcom argued that Black people allegedly face disproportionate discrimination from both police violence and pollution. ¹⁸

Leadership

Sally Bingham was the founder and president emeritus of Interfaith Power and Light national group and the founder of the Regeneration Project. ^{19  20} As of 2026, she was an Episcopal priest and canon for the environment in the Episcopal Diocese of California. Bingham served on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and was a member of the Forum on Children and Nature. She also sat on the board of directors of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Environmental Working Group (EWG), and the U.S. Climate Action Network (US-CAN), and the national advisory board for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). ²¹

Financials

Since the national office of Interfaith Power and Light folded, individual chapters have reported financial information. Several of the most active chapters still receive significant funding. For example, in 2024, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light reported $1,375,562 in total revenue, $1,047,075 in total expenses, and $4,139,351 in total assets. ²² The same year, Michigan Interfaith Power and Light reported $820,192 in total revenue, $783,039 in total expenses, and $503,650 in total assets. ²³

Some chapters of Interfaith Power and Light exist as fiscally sponsored projects of other groups. Interfaith Power and Light (DC.MD.NoVA), which covers Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia, is a project of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington. In 2024, it reported $1,189,398 in total revenue, $1,184,794 in total expenses, and $442,472 in total assets. ²⁴ The same year, Minnesota Interfaith Power And Light—under its parent organization Congregations Caring For Creation—reported $1,237,073 in total revenue, $1,186,375 in total expenses, and $847,676 in total assets. ²⁵

Despite the financial success of some of its chapters, several Interfaith Power and Light branches have folded, including the Utah, Idaho, Nebraska, and Wisconsin chapters, among others. ²⁶