Mich. nonprofits to receive grant

Local governments across the state will be receiving $195,996 in Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant awards, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced Monday.

Grants were awarded to four Michigan nonprofit organizations that will allocate funding and provide technical expertise to more than 125 small Michigan communities, said Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant, or EECBG, program manager Jan Patrick.

The funding, which will finance a variety of programs ranging from efficient street lighting to geothermal heating, was granted by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, or DELEG, as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Patrick said.

“We’ve had similar grants in the past,” she said. “What’s different this time is that we have the ability to offer a greater number of grants than ever before.”

Michigan Energy Options, a Lansing nonprofit organization dedicated to implementing and directing energy efficiency projects, was one of the four nonprofits selected to direct programs operating under the grants.

“The issue that a lot of smaller Michigan communities have is that they don’t have the resources to run energy efficiency programs,” said Joel Wiese, director of marketing and development for Michigan Energy Options. “We will assist them in using the funds effectively.”

Other nonprofit organizations selected to provide assistance throughout the state include the WARM Training Center in Detroit, the Clean Energy Coalition in Ypsilanti and the Michigan Municipal League Foundation in Ann Arbor.