Massachusetts announced $23 million in clean energy grants for projects at nine public colleges and state facilities, including geothermal connections and energy-efficiency upgrades. The state’s Department of Energy Resources program, Leading by Example Decarbonization Implementation Program, covers up to 45% of eligible costs and supports a broader goal of reducing on-site fossil fuel emissions by 35% by 2030. Projects include a $7.35 million installation of a 5-MW industrial heat pump at the University of Massachusetts Amherst central heating plant using waste heat to produce low-pressure steam, and $5.3 million for a campuswide decarbonization plan at UMass Boston that replaces gas boilers with electric heat shift chillers using existing sea water pumps. The funding also supports geothermal connection work at UMass Dartmouth, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and Salem State University, plus geothermal upgrades for state Department of Conservation and Recreation facilities. Total expected impact is a reduction of 21,000 metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions and long-term cost reductions for taxpayers.