FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Minneapolis American Indian Center and Sabathani Community Center Selected for $10 Million EPA Grant for Green Energy Initiatives
MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 24, 2024) — The Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) and Sabathani Community Center are proud to announce that they have been selected for a combined $10 million for the Minneapolis BIPOC Climate Resilience Partnership (MBCRP) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Change Grant to support green energy projects benefiting communities of color.
This funding is allocated as $4 million for MAIC to enhance its renovation efforts, including the installation of solar energy systems and workforce development initiatives, and $6 million for Sabathani to complete its geothermal heating and cooling project.
For the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC), this $4 million in EPA funding will complete a $30+ million renovation to the building campus to better serve a large and tribally diverse urban American Indian population, numbering well over 35,000 in the eleven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The funding will support the installation of solar energy systems on the building’s roof, helping reduce emissions and increase the center’s energy efficiency and resiliency, so it can continue being a safe place for the community to gather and receive services.
For Sabathani Community Center, this grant will follow $6 million in funding secured from the Minnesota State Legislature through the Renewable Development Account (RDA) in May 2024. With this new infusion of EPA funds, Sabathani will be fully funded to replace two 57-year-old boilers and 104 aging air conditioning units with a state-of-the-art geothermal heat pump system. This new system will lower operating costs, reduce pollution by over 1,000 Metric tons a year, and has the potential for future expansion to provide district energy to the surrounding community. The final designs for the geothermal system are currently in development, with groundbreaking expected in early Spring 2025. Sabathani’s geothermal project is a key component of its broader Community Energy Project, which aims to raise additional funding for solar power installation, district energy expansion, and green workforce development opportunities.
The Minneapolis American Indian Center and Sabathani Community Center have been grateful to work in partnership for almost four years for the betterment of their communities. They also extend their gratitude to the many partners and supporters of this multi-year effort.
About the Minneapolis BIPOC Climate Resilience Partnership (MBCRP) Grant
This funding will come through the EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program, which is part of the $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds allocated for environmental and climate justice projects. These investments are aimed at reducing pollution, increasing climate resilience, and building capacity in communities disproportionately affected by climate change, pollution, and historical disinvestment.
About Minneapolis American Indian Center
Minneapolis American Indian Center is one of the oldest urban American Indian Centers in the country. Founded in 1975, the center provides critical services through its employment, social service, fitness, nutrition, youth, intergenerational, cultural, and educational programs, serving more than 4,000 people from more than 43 tribal nations each year. The community space, which often hosts powwows, funerals, meetings, and other programs and events, hosts more than 10,000 visitors each year. MAIC was initially formed by community members and continues its roots today with majority American Indian leadership and staffing. The center reopened in a renovated and expanded space on May 1, 2024, after undergoing a $32 million historic renovation that sets the center up to serve the community for generations to come.
For more information about the Minneapolis American Indian Center, visit www.maicnet.org.
Minneapolis American Indian Center Contact:
Natalie Rademacher, Communications Coordinator
Grand Portage Ojibwe
Phone: 507-476-7448
Email: nrademacher@maicnet.org
About Sabathani Community Center
Founded in 1966, Sabathani Community Center is one of Minnesota’s oldest African American-founded and led nonprofits. Serving the South Minneapolis neighborhoods of Central, Bryant, Phillips, and Powderhorn, Sabathani annually serves over 150,000 people by providing essential resources to meet basic needs, fostering community, and enhancing quality of life.
For more details on Sabathani’s Community Energy Project, visit sabathani.org/energy-project.
Sabathani Community Center Media Contact:
Justin Leaf, Communications Coordinator
Phone: 612-821-2315
Email: jleaf@sabathani.org