Grants for environmental justice education, urban gardens, race-based farming assistance, and even a “Green Revolution” are among the handouts from a $20 million fund awarded to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in the 2023-24 budget.

The department’s list of awardees also describes spending for electric vehicle rides and training for digital literacy. The list describes how the 43 grantees were chosen and how the money will be spent, but it does not include dollar amounts for the grants.

2024 MI EJ Impact Grants Awarded Projects by mcclallen

The 43 recipients include:

YesRx: A group that provides access to cancer medication through a network of 50 cancer drug repository programs. “[T]he project will provide timely treatment to patients in need and prevent medication waste from contaminating lead land and water,” according to the EGLE document.

Dream of Detroit: The organization was awarded a grant for a “modular multi-purpose community center” to expand programming and services. “The facility will feature a digital literacy lab, pop-up retail space, arts performance venue, outdoor courtyard, and a pocket park, creating a hub for entrepreneurship education, and community events.”

We The People of Detroit Trusting Our Tap: This grant “will support residents of Southwest and Eastside Detroit to trust their tap water through a series of community presentations to communicate about water testing and qualitative and quantitative assessments of perceptions of water quality in these Detroit neighborhoods.”

B.A.S.S. Inc. (Building Assets to Strengthen Society): B.A.S.S. plans to “lead a Green Revolution” in Highland Park by creating green spaces and urban gardens. In addition to teaching young people to reduce their carbon footprint, the organization will provide “youth environmental leadership and advocacy” for environmental social justice training and renewable energy initiatives.

Flint Innovative Solutions: The grant will be used for the Greater Flint Area, Detroit, Battle Creek, and Dansville to “transform the food landscape in Flint by empowering Black and People of Color farmers” using food systems. It will also invest in urban gardens and “enhance the Flint Eats App” through a statewide mapping system for community and farms.

Four County Community Foundation: The funds will be used to provide electric vehicle rides in Imlay City for healthcare transportation.

Marquette County Planning Division: The county will use the grant money to connect the Little Trout Lake Park and KI Sawyer Community Fitness Strip through construction of a non-motorized trail along Silver Lead Creek. The explanation is that the community can interact with nature and escape the built environment.

The Boggs Educational Center: The center is based in Detroit and will use the money for environmental justice education, pollution monitoring at the school, and retrofitting of the 20,000 square foot building where Boggs conducts its programming.

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s document did not provide the amount of each grant awarded. The department did not respond to an email seeking comment.

A note on the grant application specifies that no more than $500,000 can be awarded to each recipient. Evenly divided among the 43 recipients, the spending would come to $465,116.28 per grant.

The 2024 House Fiscal Agency budget breakdown said that the $20 million would provide funding for air quality and contaminated site remediation in “disadvantaged communities.”

The enacted 2024 budget provides greater detail.

The $20 million fund was established when Democrats controlled both legislative chambers and the governor’s office. Although subsequent budget negotiations have somewhat constrained the department, one lawmaker condemns efforts to revive environmental justice carveouts.

“The Senate may have reduced the size of EGLE, but they still tried sneaking their failed progressive policies into our state budget,” Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, said in 2025. He urged lawmakers to focus on “getting rid of the bloat that’s plagued us for generations.”