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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** *
April 22, 2026 
Jeff Johnston, EGLE Public Information Officer, [email protected], 517-231-9304

Four Michigan awardees will share $500,000 to advance green lending

*"Grant awards are latest in ongoing competitive MI Healthy Climate Challenge program"*

 

The Office of Climate and Energy (OCE) in the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has announced four awardees in the third round of the MI Healthy Climate Challenge [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ], a series of competitive grants accelerating clean energy deployment and unlocking new investment across the state. 

Challenge #3: Growing Green Lending [ [link removed] ] will grant $500,000 to accelerate green lending practices – financial tools, loan products, and programs that make it easier for homeowners, businesses, nonprofits, and local governments to invest in clean energy, energy efficiency, and other climate-focused projects.  

“Michigan’s transition to a prosperous and sustainable clean energy economy depends on accelerating climate investments and making clean energy and efficiency financing more affordable and accessible,” said EGLE Director Phil Roos. “This forward-looking challenge helps unlock lending potential by providing support to innovative Michigan lenders and partnerships.” 

The awardees, chosen from among 15 applicants, will implement projects as follows: 


* *Michigan State Housing Development Authority:* Will develop a financing and technical assistance model for up to four pilots that will support owners and developers building a viable pipeline of affordable multifamily deep-energy retrofit projects. Partners: Michigan Saves, Elevate Energy, IFF. 

* *Michigan CDFI Coalition:* Will train up to 50 Community Development Financial Institution lending staff to underwrite climate finance projects and build relationships to deploy projects readily. Partners: Center for Impact Finance, Michigan Saves, Inclusiv, Justice Climate Fund, Michigan Climate Investment Hub. 

* *Opportunity Resource Fund:* Will create a community lender aligned Property Assessed Clean Energy financing model and lending tools for small- to medium-sized clean energy/efficiency projects. Partners: Opportunity Resource Fund, Invest Detroit, Lean and Green Michigan. 

* *Northern Initiatives:* Will build green lending capacity through staff training, project development, and integration of clean technology lending policies. Partners: Center for Impact Finance, Michigan CDFI Coalition. 

The Challenge #3: Growing Green Lending goal is to expand clean energy financing across Michigan by empowering lenders to offer more accessible and affordable green lending products. 

“The state’s Growing Green Lending Challenge will provide Michigan-serving lenders an opportunity to explore, build, and expand clean energy and climate-related lending products and services,” said Ben Dueweke, director of the Michigan Climate Investment Hub. “Coordination and collaboration among these institutions will be a crucial part of achieving Michigan's decarbonization goals, and the capacity and community building we already see is exciting and encouraging.” 

Located at Newlab at Michigan Central in Detroit, the Hub is a public-private initiative designed to mobilize capital, strengthen technical capacity, and coordinate the partnerships necessary to accelerate climate and clean energy project deployment across Michigan. 

*About the MI Healthy Climate Challenge program* 

EGLE administers the MI Healthy Climate Challenge as a multiphase competitive grant program to accelerate progress toward the state’s climate action and clean energy goals. Each challenge focuses on a specific barrier or opportunity, supporting projects that deliver measurable environmental, economic, and community benefits. 

Challenge #4, Go Big, Go Clean, was announced April 21 by Governor Gretchen Whitmer [ [link removed] ] at the MI Healthy Climate Conference in Detroit. 

Challenge #2, Unlocking Elective Pay, announced its awards in January [ [link removed] ].     

Challenge #1, Solar for Savings, remains paused due to the termination of the grant program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EGLE is working with Michigan's Attorney General on possible next steps.  

To stay informed about this and other climate programs, sign up for the MI Healthy Climate Bulletin [ [link removed] ]. 

*About the MI Healthy Climate Conference* 

Michigan’s fourth annual MI Healthy Climate Conference [ [link removed] ] brought together representatives of local, state, and tribal governments; educational institutions; community members; nonprofits; business representatives, and climate action leaders from across the state and nation to: 


* Report on progress toward MI Healthy Climate Plan goals. 

* Foster connection, conversation, and collaboration. 

* Present real-world examples of community-led innovation and climate action. 

* Mobilize resources, technical support, and funding opportunities to empower communities and organizations to implement local climate initiatives and clean energy measures. 

* Celebrate the work being done to move climate action forward in Michigan. 

EGLE’s OCE hosted the daylong event April 21 at Huntington Place in Detroit. The program included plenary talks, breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and more.

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