Sierra Business Council

Sierra Business Council works with small businesses, local governments, and community nonprofits to build a vibrant local economy and address climate change in the Sierra Nevada region. The organization focuses on Economic Empowerment, Regional Advocacy, and Climate Action, serving the economic, environmental, and social needs of the area. It manages the Sierra Small Business Development Center, providing free consulting and training to help new and existing businesses. The Council also administers the Martis Fund Homebuyer Assistance Program, offering down payment assistance to income-qualified working families in Placer County and Truckee. Additionally, it runs the Sierra Nevada Energy Watch program, offering no-cost energy efficiency and renewable energy services to local governments, school districts, public agencies, and small businesses. Sierra Business Council is involved in the California Jobs First (CERF) initiative, focusing on job creation and economic development in the Eastern Sierra and Placer & El Dorado Counties. The organization also manages the Lake Tahoe Water Trail, promoting safe and environmentally responsible paddling along the 72-mile Lake Tahoe shoreline, and hosts the California Green Business Network – Sierra Chapter, helping local businesses become more environmentally responsible. Furthermore, it is part of the Climate Transformation Alliance, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality in the North Tahoe-Truckee community by 2045. The Council runs the Gold Country Broadband Consortium to improve and expand broadband access in Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, and Sierra counties and supports the Town of Truckee’s Dark Sky Outdoor Lighting Rebate Program to reduce light pollution and improve energy efficiency. It conducts the Sierra Nevada Climate Vulnerability Assessment to help communities prepare for climate change and offers a Forest Entrepreneurship Program to support businesses in forest management and wood products.