Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) is offering financial assistance for communities to improve energy management and accelerate the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy through the Community Energy Management Program (CEM).
Donor Name: Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE)
State: Michigan
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/30/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Energy Unit is offering grants for communities to improve energy management and accelerate the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy for local governments and tribes. This program is part of the EGLE Catalyst Communities Initiative to provide resources to local public officials as they prepare for climate impacts on emergency response and public health, and support Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s climate change priorities through measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with the MI Healthy Climate Plan.
Program Objectives 

Assist in advancing local governments’ energy-related activities,
Promote energy planning to ensure strategic implementation of energy-related activities,
Promote energy benchmarking and auditing to increase understanding of energy use,
Promote energy efficiency upgrades in appliances, lighting, and building envelopes to reduce energy use and costs,
Promote the adoption of renewable energy systems to reduce energy costs and improve public and environmental health,
Promote community engagement, outreach, and education to increase public awareness and involvement in energy-related activities.

Priorities

Showcasing energy waste reduction and/or renewable energy as an affordable, reliable, adaptable, and environmentally protective solution for Michigan’s energy future. Energy waste reduction, as defined in Public Act 342 of 2016, includes energy efficiency, load management, and energy conservation.
Use of energy audit/assessment results, from a recognized provider such as the RESTART program to guide energy efficiency investments.
Driving down the installed cost/watt for renewable energy in Michigan.
Increasing accessibility to renewable energy and/or energy waste reduction and the associated benefits for a broad range of end-users.
Strategic deployment of renewable energy and/or energy waste reduction across the state that leverages regional strengths and opportunities.
Increasing opportunities for business investment, talent enhancement, state branding, and community vitality.
Reducing transportation sector emissions and operation costs through fleet electrification.
Increasing access to publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, making it possible for more members of the community to switch to EVs.
Support the goals of the MI Healthy Climate Plan.

Funding Information

A total of $5,850,000 in funding is available 
Minimum individual grant award for this portion of funding is $5,000.
Maximum individual grant award for this portion of funding is $100,000.

Eligibility Requirements
For the SEP portion of the funds any local government, tribal government, or other public service entity physically located in Michigan is eligible to apply. For the EECBG portion of the funds, any local government or tribal government physically located in Michigan that did not receive direct EECBG funding allocations is eligible to apply. At least 40 percent of the program funding will be granted to entities located in disadvantaged census tracts according to the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. At this time, public schools and universities are not eligible to apply for the CEM program. Former Community Energy Management Program recipients must wait at least one program year following their most recent award before being eligible to apply again.
Eligible projects must involve/address energy management, energy efficiency, renewable energy, fleet electrification, EV charging infrastructure, sustainable financing solutions, and/or clean energy workforce development. Potential projects may include, but are not limited to:

Creating or updating plans, policies, and/or ordinances to include energy systems, green building standards, climate change adaptation, and resiliency.
Benchmarking energy usage, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy efficiency assessments, including ASHRAE Level I or II audits.
Energy efficiency upgrades, such as lighting fixture replacements, HVAC upgrades, building insulation improvements, window, and door retrofits, etc.
Renewable energy projects, such as site and project savings assessments, stakeholder engagement, installation of solar panels and battery storage, etc.
Development of climate, sustainability, energy efficiency, renewable energy, fleet replacement, or EV charging infrastructure strategic plans.
Implementation of financial incentive programs, including rebates and energy savings performance contracts for existing facilities; grants and loans to support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation projects; loan loss reserves; interest-rate buy down programs; PACE programs; and loan guarantees.
Installation of Level 1, Level 2, or Direct Current (DC) Fast Charging infrastructure, and other related EVSE.
Purchasing alternative fuel vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles.
Workforce assessments and program design, including the implementation of classroom or virtual training programs, and/or curriculum development.
Public engagement, education, program promotion, and/or outreach.
Support for staff capacity, trainings, and/or workshops

For more information, visit EGLE.