University of Detroit Mercy receives DOE $3.8 million grant to help nonprofits increase energy efficiency

DETROIT, Dec. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) won a $3.79 million award from the Department of Energy's Office of State and Community Energy Program's (SCEP) Renew America's Nonprofits grant program to support energy efficiency in the nonprofit sector.

This program enlists scores of UDM students and faculty to help 13 nonprofits in Detroit and southeast Michigan reduce carbon footprints. This investment is a significant step toward a new future envisioned by UDM President Donald B. Taylor following his 2022 appointment.

"UDM has a unique opportunity to work with project partners and nonprofits through collaborative work that connects to our vision and mission as one of the best Jesuit and Mercy Catholic Universities in Michigan and our region," Taylor said. "We are beyond excited to partner with such incredible organizations as the DOE, Focus: HOPE, the nonprofit agencies in our community and the people they serve who will directly benefit from this grant."

Today, energy costs are the second-highest operational expense for nonprofits behind salaries. DOE grantees based their projects on helping to reduce energy consumption and expenses, which will free up a percentage of funds and lead to savings that can be redirected to mission-critical work.

The goals of this project include a reduction in energy use, emissions and to lower utility costs in nonprofit facilities. In addition, savings achieved by nonprofits will help build greater organizational capacity and further provide services to metro Detroit constituents.

UDM's project is titled Sustaining Service Organizations and will work to improve energy efficiency of 13 nonprofit-owned buildings in the Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park communities. The $3.79 million grant will be supplemented by a match of $1.01 million shared among project partners as in-kind resources. This brings the total investment in the project to $4.8 million.

Organizations participating in this project serve hundreds of thousands of community members each day. These organizations include:

• Focus: HOPE, https://www.focushope.edu/
• Brilliant Detroit, https://brilliantdetroit.org/ 
• The Avalon Village, https://www.theavalonvillage.org/ 
• Urban League of Southeastern Michigan, https://www.deturbanleague.org/
• Detroit PAL, https://detroitpal.org/
• East Side Community Network, https://www.ecn-detroit.org/ 
• Franklin Wright Settlements, https://www.franklinwright.org/
• Freedom House Detroit, https://freedomhousedetroit.org/
• Garage Cultural, https://www.garagecultural.org/
• Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, https://www.goodwilldetroit.org/
• Mack Avenue Community Church Development, https://www.maccdevelopment.com/about
• EcoWorks, https://www.ecoworksdetroit.org/
• University of Detroit Mercy's College of Health Professions

To learn more, please visit www.udmercy.edu today!

Media Contact: Gary Erwin, 13135780339, erwingj@udmercy.edu

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SOURCE University of Detroit Mercy