00E04058

**Description:** This agreement provides funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to Southwestern Michigan Commission.

Specifically, the project will: transform the Bobo Brazil Community Center and Garden House into resilience hubs with energy efficiency upgrades, alternative energy sources and community-driven programming; develop a series of linked microgrids to provide clean, reliable, community-owned energy to residents and public-serving institutions; provide grants for home energy audits, weatherization, electrification and indoor air quality improvements; offer training in green construction and clean energy careers, targeting local contractors, community members and high school students; and establish a mobile recycling program with an educational campaign to reduce waste and illegal dumping.

**Activities:** This project will complete five activities which includes:

1. Community resilience hubs: Transform the Bobo Brazil Community Center and Garden House into resilience hubs with energy efficiency upgrades, alternative energy sources and community-driven programming.

2. First-phase pilot of microgrid strategy: As a centerpiece of its long-term vision, BH plans to develop a series of linked microgrids to provide clean, reliable, community-owned energy to residents and public-serving institutions.

To pilot the first phase of that long-range plan, the city will deploy CCG funds to create a clustered solar-energy development centered at the Bobo Brazil Community Center and radiating outward to adjacent homes and community buildings.

Each of the cluster's 92 solar installations will come with demand-response technologies that will enable it to interact in sophisticated ways with the current power grid and seamlessly integrate with the microgrid that BH envisions for the neighborhood's future.

3. Home energy efficiency upgrades: Provide grants for home energy audits, weatherization, electrification and indoor air quality improvements.

4. Workforce development programs: Offer training in green construction and clean energy careers, targeting local contractors, community members and high school students.

5. Community recycling program: Establish a mobile recycling program with an educational campaign to reduce waste and illegal dumping.

**Subrecipient:** The City of Benton Harbor is going to rehabilitate the Bobo Brazil Community Center and build a microgrid pilot.

The Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation (BHCDC) will transform a large house into the Garden House resilience hub to be a model of an electrified house.

Additionally, BHCDC will develop a comprehensive homeowner grant program providing home energy audits and indoor air quality assessments.

The program will support electrification, weatherization, and energy efficiency upgrades and improve indoor air quality.

BHCDC and the City of Benton Harbor will provide workforce development programs to provide residents with high quality, long-term career pathways to sustainable jobs that help reduce GHG emissions.

Let Us Rest will establish a mobile recycling program with an educational campaign to reduce waste and illegal dumping.

**Outcomes:** The anticipated deliverables include renovating two community resilience hubs and providing event attendance, co-hosting at 4 programs per year on climate resilience, hosting 4 workshops on basic home maintenance, conducting 30 home energy audits, conducting 3 workforce development programs with 60% of trainees completing their respective training program, and having quarterly reports on recycling that was diverted from landfills.

The expected outcomes include reducing pollution, improving public health, and bolstering community strength by ensuring residents benefit directly from the investments.

The community resilience hubs will provide safe gathering spaces, increase social connectivity and support residents during climate-change-induced events.

The pilot microgrid strategy will enhance energy resilience to mitigate.

Southwestern Michigan Commission

7 - ENSURE SAFETY OF CHEMICALS FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT 7.2 - PROMOTE POLLUTION PREVENTION 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.2 - EMBED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS INTO EPA’S PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND ACTIVITIES 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.2 - PROVIDE FOR CLEAN AND SAFE WATER 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.2 - PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERBODIES AND WATERSHEDS 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.2 - PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERBODIES AND WATERSHEDS 1 - CORE MISSION 1.3 - REVITALIZE LAND AND PREVENT CONTAMINATION 4 - ENSURE CLEAN AND HEALTHY AIR FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 4.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND REDUCE LOCALIZED POLLUTION AND HEALTH IMPACTS 3 - GREATER CERTAINTY, COMPLIANCE, AND EFFECTIVENESS 3.3 - PRIORITIZE ROBUST SCIENCE 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS S - CROSS AGENCY STRATEGY S.1 - ENSURE SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY AND SCIENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING 4 - ENSURE CLEAN AND HEALTHY AIR FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 4.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND REDUCE LOCALIZED POLLUTION AND HEALTH IMPACTS 4 - ENSURE CLEAN AND HEALTHY AIR FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 4.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND REDUCE LOCALIZED POLLUTION AND HEALTH IMPACTS 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.2 - PROVIDE FOR CLEAN AND SAFE WATER 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS

66.616 - Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program

EPA Region 5: Chicago [EPA - RO]

Benton Harbor, Michigan United States

City-Wide

Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-04)

Termination This project grant was reported on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) partial or complete termation list as of its last report October 2025. See All
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 01/31/28 to 04/30/25.