Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (CCA) was created to provide an education for artists that would integrate both theory and practice in the arts. Today, CCA educates students to shape culture and society through the practice and critical study of art, architecture, design, and writing. Its San Francisco location prepares students for lifelong creative work by cultivating innovation, community engagement, and social and environmental responsibility. CCA has evolved into an internationally recognized educational model that annually attracts more than 1,500 talented students from every state and over fifty countries.

The expanded campus, called “Double Ground” and designed by Studio Gang, will be completed in fall 2024 and add 82,305 square feet of space to teach, make, and present art. An FCI Implementation Grant will support CCA’s Microgrid Project, which aims to boost sustainability, resiliency, and economic objectives by installing renewable power generation and storage infrastructure at Double Ground. CCA's new campus will address climate change by generating renewable resources while teaching the next generation of creative leaders how to build on these practices. CCA will harvest and store solar energy via a microgrid system, helping cut energy consumption and with the ultimate goal of net-zero operations. Utilizing rooftop solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and microgrid controller technology, the project is expected to produce around 1GWh of energy per year, meeting nearly 54 percent of energy needs at the new campus and generating up to $225,500 in annual utility savings.