Title
Resolution to Authorize the Expansion of the Sustaining Ann Arbor Together Grant Program to Include a New Track Supporting the Building Decarbonization Efforts of Nonprofits and Houses of Worship
Memorandum
The Sustaining Ann Arbor Together ("SA2T") Grant Program was launched in 2018, upon the recommendation of the Environmental Commission, as a means of promoting and resourcing community-based activities in support of the City's sustainability and climate action goals. Initially launched within Systems Planning, the Program eventually moved to the then-newly-formed Office of Sustainability and Innovations where it has lived ever since.
Through the award of individual grants, the SA2T grant program helps neighborhood groups and community-based organizations develop, resource, and complete small-scale sustainability projects in the City's rights-of-way or on publicly owned property. Each grant awarded is $10,000.00 or less (excluding neighborhood contributions). Since 2019, the total annual grant program funding has been $100,000.00, which comes from the budget of the Office of Sustainability and Innovations.
To date, only the following entities have been eligible to apply for a SA2T grant:
* Neighborhood associations (registered with the City); or
* Nonprofit entities registered with the State of Michigan
In 2023, Ann Arbor City Council formalized the SA2T grant program via the adoption of Resolution 23-302. Since that time, the City has awarded over a dozen grants to eligible applicants.
Given the success of the SA2T grant program, the City is looking at opportunities to grow and evolve the program. Additionally, as the City's work on decarbonization has grown, so too has interest from organizations looking to join the movement. Over the last two years, a growing number of nonprofits and houses of worship have inquired about ways they can take advantage of the City's programs, expertise, and initiatives to help lower the carbon and environmental ...
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