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LEO awards over $1.5M to Superior Watershed Partnership to provide utility assistance in Upper Peninsula
December 05, 2023
MI Impact Grant supports nonprofits to help more Michiganders make ends meet
UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. – Today, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) announced $1.57 of the $15 million MI Impact Grant program was awarded to Superior Watershed Partnership. The grant, made available to Michigan’s large nonprofits who provide programming to lift people out of poverty, will allow the nonprofit to expand services and offer water and utility waste payments.
“No one should have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table for their families,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “The MI Impact Grant provides several of Michigan’s largest nonprofits with funds to make a meaningful and direct impact in their communities. We remain committed to assisting individuals living in poverty and ensure Michigan families have access to the support they need.”
Superior Watershed Partnership was among 10 large nonprofits receiving one-time grant funds of up to $2 million to create or expand programming that lifts Michiganders out of poverty. The grant program prioritized partnerships with larger nonprofits that share the state’s commitment to providing services that help lift Michigan residents out of poverty and above the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold.
“These funds will allow 10 large nonprofits to uplift the communities they serve and strengthen Michigan’s nonprofit ecosystem,” said LEO Director Susan Corbin. “We are proud to deliver on our mission to close equity gaps and remove barriers to economic prosperity.”
Superior Watershed Partnership provides electric, heat, water and waste services to 1,000 Michiganders across 15 counties in the Upper Peninsula. The agency also offers self-sufficiency services including needs assessments, energy security plans, energy and financial education workshops and an energy action plan for clients requiring more than $2,500 in energy assistance. With the MI Impact Grant, Superior Watershed Partnership will expand their services to those above the 150% federal poverty level and can now offer water and waste utility payments to those in need.
“The Superior Watershed Partnership is excited to announce that we will be receiving MI Impact funds to assist ALICE households in the UP with heat, electric, water and waste bills,” said Tonya Swenor, project director, and Kasey Grieco, program manager, for Superior Watershed Partnership. “This is a one-of-a-kind program to help households who have never been eligible for utility assistance. With low-income Michiganders spending an average of 15% of their income on energy bills alone, this funding couldn’t come at a better time to help UP residents.”
The MI Impact Grant program, aimed at addressing disparities that affect Michiganders’ abilities to afford necessities such as housing, child care, food, health care and transportation with the goal of lifting 100,000 families out of working poverty during the next five years.
The funding is supported through the American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) with a goal to build a strong, resilient and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity. $50 million in funding will be provided to support nonprofits who have been negatively impacted due to the pandemic. The funding will be distributed through two separate programs, with a $35 million relief fund made available to smaller nonprofits earlier this year. Nonprofits were eligible to receive either the MI Nonprofit Relief Fund or the MI Impact Grant, not both.
The grant program also supports the recommendations of the Michigan Poverty Task Force, whose goal is to address the disparities that affect Michiganders’ abilities to afford necessities. To learn more about their work and view a full list of grant awardees, visit the Michigan Poverty Task Force’s nonprofit webpage.
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