NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
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LANSING – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is seeking proposals to support efforts by community water systems to ensure the affordability of water.
MDHHS’ Local Water Utility Affordability program will award grants to qualified providers that assist eligible residents who have a financial burden; have accumulated a balance on water and/or wastewater utility bills; have had water service shut off; and/or are at risk of having water and/or wastewater service shut off.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) is open to federally recognized tribes, community action agencies and nonprofit, community-based organizations organized under the laws of this state that are exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 501, with a history of doing utility assistance work.
The six-month award begins April 1, and ends Sept. 30, 2024. A total of $35 million is available, with maximum awards of $10 million and minimum awards of $20,000. Successful applicants may be awarded funding annually through Sept. 30, 2026, based upon availability and acceptable performance.
A pre-application conference will be held to discuss this funding opportunity and provide instruction on using the EGrAMS system on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m., and will last approximately 90 minutes. The webinar can be accessed here. At the conclusion of the conference, this link can be used to access the recording of this webinar.
Grant applications for the Local Water Utility Affordability RFP must be submitted electronically through EGrAMS by 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb 6.
Any questions concerning the content of this RFP must be sent via email to, at [email protected] on or before Friday, Jan. 19. Questions may be discussed verbally at the pre-application conference. MDHHS will compile all relevant questions and answers and post these as well as any other clarifications or revisions to the initial RFP by Wednesday, Jan. 24, on the EGrAMS website.
For more information or to apply, visit the EGrAMS website and select "About EGrAMS" link in the left panel to access the "Competitive Application Instructions" training manual. The complete RFP can be accessed under the ‘Current Grants’ section under the “Community Action & Economic Opportunity” link and selecting the “LWUA-2024” grant program.
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