Synagogues and nonprofits become eligible for grants to upgrade energy efficiency in the new infrastructure bill
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — The massive infrastructure bill passed by Congress Friday will pour on trillion dollars into fixing and upgrading the country’s failing transportation systems. Thanks to one part of it, the bill will also put a few million into fixing up the country’s synagogues, religious schools and nonprofits.
The Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act, a bill that was first introduced in the Senate by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and John Hoeven, will allow houses of worship and nonprofits to apply for grants to increase the energy efficiency of their buildings. A total of $50 million will be allocated to the effort, overseen by the Department of Energy, with each entity eligible for a grant of up to $200,000.
The legislation was supported by the Orthodox Union as well as a number of other religious organizations.
“We are very grateful to bipartisan leaders and the many rank and file lawmakers 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,” Nathan Diament, the Orthodox Union’s director of public policy, said in a statement.
Elana Broitman, the senior vice president for public affairs at the Jewish Federations of North America, which represents Jewish community federations across the country, praised the bill and noted the “outdated” buildings in which many of the country’s nonprofits and social service agencies are often housed.
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