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Agriculture and Rural Businesses Energy Incentive Program

Agriculture and Rural Businesses Energy Incentive Program

EGLE is offering matching grants to accelerate the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy on farms, agriculture-related entities, and rural business through the Agriculture and Rural Businesses Energy Incentive Program.  This grant opportunity will support increased resilience and stability of agricultural, agriculture-related, and rural businesses in Michigan through energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrification, and other innovative projects. 

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposal and any questions with the program contact prior to submittal. Technical assistance is also available through the Retired Engineers, Scientists, Technicians, Administrators, and Teachers (RESTART) program. RESTART offers free onsite energy efficiency and sustainability technical assistance and assessments to small and medium-sized commercials businesses throughout Michigan. 

Contact

Michelle Rogers
RogersM13@Michigan.gov
517-275-1288

Eligibility Requirements

Any agriculture, or related, entity (farm, crop processing, food processing, etc.) with less than 500 employees worldwide and physically located in Michigan is eligible to apply. 

Also eligible are small businesses (non-manufacturing) with less than 500 employees worldwide and physically located in rural Michigan as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Businesses, Property Eligibility Map for the Rural Energy for American Program (REAP). 

Projects must address one or more program objectives and one or more program priorities listed under Section I-B of the Request for Proposals. 

Funding Amount

A total of $250,000 will be made available for this program. The maximum individual grant award amount is $25,000. All grants require a minimum 100 percent match. EGLE reserves the right to issue awards/amounts reflecting program priorities. Expenditures incurred outside the executed grant agreement time period are ineligible. 

Program Priorities

  • Entities with significantly less than 500 employees worldwide. 
  • Innovative integration of renewables with agricultural activities like pumped water storage, agrivoltaics, or thermal battery. 
  • Rural small businesses that serve staples to their community (i.e. grocery stores, hardware stores, etc.)
  • Utilizing state, federal, and utility energy assistance programs. 
  • Activities with significant environmental and economic benefits. 
  • High value success stories of interest to many other agricultural businesses in Michigan. 

Awardee Obligations

  • Monthly progress report emailed to program manager, 
  • Report project impacts, addressing potential energy and cost savings, 
  • Provide documentation of project expenditures (i.e. invoices and proof of payments),
  • Submit payment request within 30 days of completing the project / activity, 
  • Onsite visit with EGLE staff following project completion, 
  • One-year follow-up survey on continued impacts of implemented project/activity. 

Timeline

Application Posting Date:

 October 6, 2023
Emailed Questions Due October 22, 2023
Response to Questions will be posted by October 27, 2023

Application Deadline:

Ongoing until funds committed or March 3, 2024, whichever comes first

Start Date of Projects:

Effective date of Grant Agreement (dependent on application date and approval process)

End Date of Projects:

August 31, 2024

Deadline for Payment Submission:

September 30, 2024

 

Application Documents

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No. In order for expenses to be reimbursed from grant funds, an EGLE grant agreement must be executed (signed) first. 

  • Other sources of funding (like utility rebates) are generally fine with a major exception: federal funds (such as USDA REAP) cannot be used as match. Retooling grant funding comes from a federal source (US Department of Energy), and we are not allowed to use other federal funds as the match. 

  • No. This is due to restrictions on how federal funding is used.  Cannabis is illegal at the federal level. 

  • Non-profits that operate as on the types of eligible entities listed in Section 1-D of the RFP are eligible to apply. These grants are not designed for municipalities.