The legislation, which became law this week as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, will help Jewish organizations and nonprofits save money on energy efficiency upgrades

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) held a virtual meeting with representatives from Jewish organizations and nonprofits to discuss how her bipartisan bill with Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) will help their organizations save money on energy efficiency upgrades. The Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act became law this week as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

“As religious organizations and nonprofits become more energy efficient, they can allocate more resources to their core missions,” said Klobuchar. “This bill becoming law is a win-win—it’s beneficial for the environment, the organizations, and those they serve. I’m looking forward to visiting grant recipients in the Jewish community to see how they use this federal funding to save energy.”

“We are very grateful to Senator Klobuchar and bipartisan leaders who worked to ensure this key provision ultimately was included in this legislative package. The creation of the Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act will help our foundational institutions become more environmentally sound and enable them to expand their offerings through energy cost savings,” said Nathan Diament, Executive Director of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

“We know nonprofits are the foundation of many communities and ensuring nonprofits have all of the tools to do their job is important to us at MCN,” said Ileana Mejia, public policy advocate at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. “We are looking forward to seeing the impact of the infrastructure bill, particularly how those funds will support nonprofits—especially BIPOC led, small nonprofits, and nonprofits in greater Minnesota. We are ready to work in partnership with the state to ensure the nonprofit sector is included every step of the way. Thank you again Senator Klobuchar for your leadership and support for nonprofits!”

The legislation will provide $50 million each year for the next five years to create a pilot grant program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to support nonprofits in purchasing materials for energy efficiency projects. The grants will promote energy efficiency by supporting the purchasing of materials for upgrades to existing infrastructure as well as renewable energy generators and heaters. Nonprofits can apply for grants of up to $200,000.

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