SWEET Alabama

What SWEET Alabama does

SWEET Alabama (Sustainable Water, Energy, and Economic Transition in Alabama) is a Birmingham, Alabama-based non-profit "just transition" organization founded in 2017 by Rob Burton, Majadi Baruti, and Susan Diane Mitchell. It serves environmental justice communities, youth, and homeowners/renters across Birmingham and the state of Alabama, focusing on lowering utility costs, improving housing-related health outcomes, and organizing community-led movements to mitigate racial inequity in energy access. The organization operates as a registered non-profit (EIN 82-5045504 on GuideStar) with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no equity ownership structure.

SWEET Alabama's flagship offering is the Home Energy Retrofit (HER) Program, a three-pillared initiative comprising in-person HER Clinics hosted at residences in target communities, the Green Economies Youth Fellowship that trains young people in energy retrofitting and green career pathways, and a Community ToolBank for tool lending. The organization also distributes free home energy retrofit mutual aid kits with DIY tutorials for self-directed work. The core technology is practical home weatherization—sealing cracks and holes, sealing outlets and switches, ensuring vents and ducts are properly attached and sealed, and identifying energy leakage points—delivered through hands-on community workshops rather than proprietary software or hardware. No patents, AI/ML capabilities, APIs, mobile applications, or commercial technology stack are evidenced.

The business model is donation-based: services are provided free of charge to residents, with funding sourced from charitable donations processed through the ActBlue donation platform. The organization employs a small staff led by Executive Director Rob Burton and Energy Equity Organizer Sherrette Spicer, supported by a Board of Directors (President La'Tanya Scott, Interim Treasurer Cat Cruz, Secretary Janine Mwenja, Members at Large Amanda Doctor and Wanda Bledsoe), an Advisory Board (including Ai Star and co-founder Majadi Baruti), and a 2024 HER Street Team of community ambassadors. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on coalition partnerships with People's Budget Birmingham, Alabama Arise, Gulf South for the Green New Deal, PANIC Bham, Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land Trust, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Cahaba River Society, and CAIR, plus the SWEET Alabama website, email newsletter, Facebook presence, and in-person canvassing.

Name

SWEET Alabama

Legal name

SWEET Alabama

Website

https://sweetal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SWEET Alabama is a Birmingham-based non-profit that delivers free home energy retrofits, youth green-career training, and community organizing to environmental justice communities across Alabama through its Home Energy Retrofit (HER) Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Community Energy Efficiency Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Rehabilitation, Weatherization & Home Repair Grant/Loan Programs (FSALAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Home energy retrofit
• Community weatherization
• Environmental justice programs
• Youth green fellowship
• Residential energy efficiency

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: SWEET Alabama accepts charitable donations to fund their programs connecting Alabama communities to resources for energy efficiency, sustainability, and affordable homes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SWEET Alabama is a non-profit organization that delivers residential energy efficiency services to Birmingham and Alabama communities through its Home Energy Retrofit (HER) Program. Offerings include in-person HER Clinics at residences, free home energy retrofit mutual aid kits with tutorials, the Green Economies Youth Fellowship, and a Community ToolBank that lends tools for community-led weatherization work.

Product overview

SWEET Alabama (Sustainable Water, Energy, and Economic Transition in Alabama) is a non-profit "just transition" organization that operates primarily through its Home Energy Retrofit (HER) Program. The HER Program is a three-pillared initiative that combines in-person HER Clinics, the Green Economies Youth Fellowship, and a Community ToolBank. The organization also distributes free home energy retrofit mutual aid kits and provides DIY retrofit kits with tutorials for self-directed work. These programs work together to lower utility costs, improve residents' health, and organize community-driven movements for climate and racial equity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HER Program: Home Energy Retrofit Program - a three-pillared initiative with community engagement, designed to lower utility costs, improve residents' health, and organize people-powered movements to mitigate racial inequity

Products and services

• Home Energy Retrofit (HER) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Free home energy retrofit mutual aid kits distributed to community members
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• People's Budget BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner organization working on budgetary and economic justice issues in Birmingham. Listed as one of SWEET Alabama's primary coalition partners.
• Alabama ArisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner organization advocating for economic and social justice in Alabama. Listed as one of SWEET Alabama's primary coalition partners.
• Gulf South for the Green New DealcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner organization focused on Green New Deal initiatives across the Gulf South region. Listed as one of SWEET Alabama's primary coalition partners.
• PANIC BhamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner organization based in Birmingham. Listed as one of SWEET Alabama's primary coalition partners.
• Cahaba River SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization where La'Tanya Scott, President of SWEET Alabama's Board of Directors, works as Environmental Science Educator. The Shane Hulsey CLEAN Program is a collaborative initiative.
• Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member Susan Diane Mitchell serves as Community Visionary. The organization shares values around affordable housing and community development, with overlapping mission focus on Birmingham communities.
• Greater Birmingham MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization where founding member Majadi Baruti serves as Stand As One Community Organizer. Collaborative relationship in community organizing work.
• Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization where founding member Majadi Baruti serves alongside, indicating collaborative human rights and advocacy work.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Groundwork USA: Network of local 'Groundwork Trusts' running environmental-justice projects in under-resourced communities. Comparable as a community-led, environmental-justice non-profit delivering place-based energy and sustainability programming.
• Elevate: Non-profit operating programs in energy efficiency, weatherization, and equitable electrification for under-resourced households. Directly comparable delivery model (home retrofits + community engagement) and policy advocacy footprint.
• GRID Alternatives: National non-profit delivering no-cost solar installations and energy-efficiency upgrades to low-income and environmental-justice communities. Highly comparable in mission (energy access + equity), volunteer-led model, and workforce-development program.
• Emerald Cities Collaborative: Coalition of labor, community, and environmental-justice organizations advancing a 'just transition.' Comparable as a community-organizing, environmental-justice non-profit with multi-stakeholder coalition structure.
• Rewiring America: Non-profit focused on electrifying homes and reducing energy burden for American households. Comparable in targeting home-energy retrofits and equity framing, with overlapping policy and community-education work.
• Peoples Action Institute: National network of community organizing groups addressing economic, racial, and climate justice. Comparable as a coalition-based, community-organizing non-profit with overlapping funder base and member organizations.
• Energy Justice Network: Grassroots organization supporting community-led campaigns against polluting energy infrastructure and for equitable energy systems. Comparable as a community-organizing non-profit working on energy equity at the local level.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity: Large established non-profit delivering affordable housing construction and critical home repairs for low-income families. Overlaps with SWEET Alabama's home repair / weatherization activity, but at much greater scale and broader geographic reach.

Others

• Cahaba River Society: Alabama-based environmental non-profit where SWEET Alabama's Board President La'Tanya Scott works; co-collaborator on the Shane Hulsey CLEAN Program. Comparable as a regional Alabama environmental non-profit partner organization.

Regional players

• Deep South Center for Environmental Justice: Regional environmental-justice organization based in New Orleans serving Gulf South communities, including Alabama. Comparable focus on climate equity, community engagement, and training in environmental-justice communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sweet-alabama

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SWEET Alabama