Consumers Energy Foundation Planet Awards to Provide $500,000 to Environmental Projects

JACKSON, Mich., Jan. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Consumers Energy Foundation is calling on nonprofit organizations across the state to submit letters of intent for the 2024 Planet Awards. The grants will provide as much as $250,000 to two or more Michigan nonprofits or municipalities aiming to make a positive impact on Michigan's land, water or air. A total of $500,000 will be awarded through this grant program.

The Planet Awards are the first of three $500,000 signature grant rounds in 2024, totaling $1.5 million, with the winners announced in April. Additional requests for proposals will be announced later in the year for the People Awards  and the Prosperity Awards. Letters of intent must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, to be considered for the next phase of the application process.

This year, the Foundation is seeking letters of intent to support projects improving Michigan's environment in the following categories:

• Land: projects that aim to protect, preserve, and restore land in Michigan, which includes protecting and improving the state's natural beauty and wildlife habitat.
• Water: projects seeking to preserve and improve water quality in the Great Lakes, and the freshwater bodies that flow into them.
• Air: projects seeking to reduce carbon in Michigan's air and improve air quality.

Last year, the Consumers Energy Foundation's Planet Awards helped the Nature Conservancy and the Genesee Conservation District protect threatened and endangered species, and create natural spaces. 

The Consumers Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider. The Foundation contributes to the growth and strengthening of Michigan communities by investing in what's most important — our people, our planet and Michigan's prosperity. In 2023, the Consumers Energy Foundation, Consumers Energy, its employees and retirees contributed more than $11 million to Michigan nonprofits. 

Consumers Energy is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

Media Contacts: Tracy Wimmer, 517-539-4465 or Kristen Van Kley, 517-581-0957
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SOURCE Consumers Energy