Mott aims to improve transparency, accountability, and social and environmental standards at the international finance institutions that fund major energy and infrastructure projects. This involves working with the financial and environmental sectors globally to ensure projects protect the environment, deliver sustained benefits to communities, and respect the needs of nearby residents. The focus includes influencing the investment patterns of emerging economies, particularly those of Brazil and China.
The grant focuses on two primary objectives: providing access to clean energy in developing countries and stimulating the adoption of clean-energy practices in Michigan. Internationally, the foundation centers on increasing the use of renewable energy in rural areas of developing countries, targeting over 1 billion people who lack electricity. Grants are awarded to national and international NGOs that create initiatives to overcome finance and policy barriers to clean energy access, as well as to organizations offering technical assistance in the Amazon and Sub-Saharan Africa. In Michigan, the grant supports energy-efficiency programs and renewable-energy technology adoption, focusing on assistance to early adopters, especially in small and medium-sized cities, and organizations that promote statewide networking and knowledge sharing to overcome common clean energy deployment barriers.