MI Climate Justice Challenge for EPA Community Change Grant Awardees

EcoWorks will receive $20 million to make 20 houses of worship across the city of Detroit into community resiliency hubs, offering shelter and resources to residents during weather emergencies and utility outages. Additionally, the project will deploy 30 electric vehicles to provide the community with a low-cost rideshare program.

EcoWorks applied for and the Climate Justice Challenge has made a conditional commitment of an additional 5% match.

Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan will receive two awards:

• $20 million to transform at least 300 tribal homes into more energy efficient, healthy, and resilient buildings and 12 government facilities into community resilience hubs. The Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan applied for and will be awarded $1 million from the Climate Justice Challenge.
• $3 million for the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative, an effort to engage Tribal, state, and local governments, and residents in the social, cultural, and bio-physical protection and restoration of wild rice, also known as Manoomin. The Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan applied for and the Climate Justice Challenge has made a conditional commitment of an additional 5% match.

Kalamazoo County will receive $18.9 million to improve 300 single-family housing units through home repairs and energy efficiency in the Northside, Eastside, West Douglas, and Edison neighborhoods of the city of Kalamazoo. Additionally, the project will support the development of four local neighborhood centers that will function as emergency shelters as well as community anchors to provide activities and services.

Kalamazoo County applied for, and the Climate Justice Challenge has made a conditional commitment of an additional 5% match.  

Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association (MTERA) will receive $20 million of which approximately $6 million is expected to be available as sub-awards to the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan, including but not limited to the Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Gun Lake Tribe, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

This funding will increase capacity within the tribes to support energy efficiency and weatherization upgrades in homes.

MTERA’s sub-awards to each tribe in Michigan have received a conditional commitment from the Climate Justice Challenge for an additional 5% match.

Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) will receive $20 million to establish two community resilience hubs that will provide supportive services to residents in Benton Harbor before, during, and after disasters and offer a center for community education. In addition to incorporating clean energy solutions, like backup power and energy storage at the two resilience hubs, the project will also offer energy efficiency and electrification upgrades for low-income households, churches, and public buildings, and support workforce development programs in home upgrades and sustainable construction.

The SWMPC applied for and the Climate Justice Challenge has made a conditional commitment of an additional 5% match.