Massachusetts announced $23 million in clean energy grants to nine public colleges and state facilities, backing geothermal connections and energy-efficiency upgrades through the state’s Leading by Example Decarbonization Implementation Program. Projects span UMass campuses and public facilities, with the state aiming to reduce on-site fossil fuel emissions. Reported awards include a $7.35 million installation supporting a 5-MW industrial heat pump at UMass Amherst’s central heating plant, and $5.3 million for UMass Boston’s campuswide decarbonization plan involving electric heat shift chillers. The awards are expected to cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by 21,000 metric tons, and the state’s emphasis on connecting geothermal and integrating efficiency measures reflects how facility-level decarbonization is becoming a measurable campus capital priority. For higher education facilities teams, the funding adds a near-term blueprint for how to package geothermal and electrification projects into state-aligned compliance narratives tied to emissions reduction targets.