Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • The Municipal Investment Fund (MIF) is a $250,000 grant awarded to the City of Bloomington (“City”) and in partnership with the Indiana Energy Independence Fund by the nonprofit Coalition for Green Capital. The grant is sourced from federal funding under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that is managed by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

    The MIF grant supported the City’s creation of the Bloomington Energy Works program and to develop a public-private partnership plan with key organizations in the city to facilitate the adoption of energy efficiency and clean energy projects.

  • The PPP Plan is a cooperative arrangement between government entities, residents, and private sector companies to develop a list of finance ready energy efficiency and clean energy projects in an effort to attract low cost finance capital for project implementation.

  • Since PPP Plans are long-term strategies, creating a PPP Plan is crucial for the City to ensure all parties, including the public, continue to benefit from these partnerships for many years.

  • The Phase 1 MIF program does not provide funding for project installations, but builds the market conditions for these type of projects:

    • Solar and battery energy storage system installations

    • Optimization and upgrades to manufacturing, commercial, and nonprofit buildings such as energy-efficient HVAC systems and LED lighting

    • EV charging stations

  • No, the MIF grant supports increasing education and awareness about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electrification. The MIF grant allowed the City to develop the Bloomington Energy Works program. Through the Bloomington Energy Works program, the City is offering free technical assistance to developers, businesses, manufacturers, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations in Bloomington to generate energy conservation measure recommendations and financial modeling of projects. The City is also conducting a survey for residential energy efficiency and solar projects in an effort to bring low cost capital to Bloomington for project implementation. 

    The City is not responsible for the implementation or financing of any project or ideas resulting from the MIF or Bloomington Energy Works program. 

  • The Indiana Energy Independence Fund serves as Indiana’s green bank, focused on delivering accessible financing for renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects. IEIF is the subawardee and fiscal sponsor for the Municipal Investment Fund grant and is responsible for managing funds, coordinating with program partners, and ensuring adherence to grant terms. Out of several applicant cities statewide, the Coalition for Green Capital awarded funding exclusively to Bloomington in partnership with IEIF.