The Educational Foundation of America (EFA) was established to continue the philanthropic legacy of Richard Prentice Ettinger and Elsie P. Ettinger. Led by their descendants, EFA focuses on funding nonprofits active in Creative Placemaking, Climate, Democracy, and Reproductive Health and Justice, particularly in the Appalachian region, the South, and the Pacific Northwest. The Foundation provides general operating support, multi-year grants, builds partners' capacity, and aligns its endowment with its grantmaking objectives.
EFA's Environment Program aims to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and support a transition to a net-zero electricity system. The program supports organizations and communities in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions through three primary initiatives: Increasing access to affordable clean energy in rural America, particularly within rural electric cooperatives; Accelerating the transition to a net-zero electricity system at state and regional levels through market-based regulatory approaches and building necessary infrastructure; and Strengthening finance and investment in the electric utilities' energy transition to support policies and development towards a net-zero electricity system.