Overview:

-Michigan's Justice40 Accelerator program will fund 25 community organizations to address climate change and justice.
-Each organization receives $25,000, technical assistance, workshops, and networking opportunities for local climate action.
-State officials say the initiative aligns with the MI Healthy Climate Plan and addresses historical environmental inequities.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced the launch of the Justice40 Accelerator program on October 8. The 12-month initiative will provide 25 community-based organizations with funding, training, and technical support to address climate change and environmental justice in underserved communities.

Each selected organization will receive a $25,000 unrestricted grant, along with access to technical assistance, one-on-one support, workshops on grant applications, and networking opportunities. The program aligns with the state’s MI Healthy Climate Plan and aims to address historical inequities.

The Justice40 Accelerator is a collaboration between Elevate Energy, the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition (MEJC), and EGLE’s Office of Climate and Energy, the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate, and the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate.

Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II said the initiative provides community-based organizations with the resources needed to drive local climate action and protect the state’s environment for future generations.

The selected organizations are:

  • Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit
  • Avalon Village, Inc.
  • B.A.S.S., Inc. (Building Assets to Strengthen Society)
  • Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation
  • Climate Crew Collective
  • Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance
  • Community Collaboration on Climate Change (C4)
  • Concerned Residents for South Dearborn
  • Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network
  • Detroit Dirt
  • Detroit Justice Center
  • Dream of Detroit
  • Flint Community Lab
  • Friends of Rouge Park
  • Growing Hope, Inc.
  • Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan
  • Keweenaw Community Foundation
  • N.E.W L.E.A.F Detroit (No Earth Wasted – Living Ecological Awareness Farm)
  • One Love Global, Inc.
  • Soulardarity
  • The Hispanic Service Center of Imlay City
  • Urban Development Corporation
  • Washington Heights United Methodist Church and Community
  • We Want Green, Too
  • Young, Gifted & Green

These organizations will undertake projects focusing on clean energy, energy efficiency, resilient infrastructure, and sustainable housing.

The Justice40 initiative, launched by the Biden Administration, aims to ensure that at least 40% of federal climate and clean energy investments benefit frontline communities most affected by climate change and pollution.

Michigan’s Justice40 Accelerator program received 97 applications, which were reviewed by independent evaluators. Organizations that were not selected will have access to additional resources to continue their work in the community.

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Nina Misuraca Ignaczak is an award-winning Metro Detroit-based editor, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. She is the founder, publisher, and editor of Planet Detroit, a digital media startup focused on producing quality climate, equity, health, and environment journalism that centers grassroots voices, holds power accountable, and spotlights solutions. Planet Detroit has received awards and recognition from the Society for Professional Journalists Detroit, the Institute for Nonprofit News, and LION Publishers since its establishment in 2019. Prior to her journalism career, Nina worked in urban planning in local government and nonprofit sectors, holding a Master of Science in Natural Resource Ecology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.