Eastpointe receives $250,000 grant for initiative to increase tree canopy

EASTPOINTE — The city of Eastpointe is one of three cities to be awarded a grant by the Consumers Energy Foundation.

Eastpointe received a $250,000 grant as a winner of the Consumers Energy Foundation’s 2025 Planet Award..

The grant is to fund the city’s GreenPointe Community Initiative, which focuses on bioretention systems and tree planting to manage stormwater, improve air quality, reduce urban heat and engage the community in sustainable practices, according to a press release from Consumers Energy.

In a prepared statement, Eastpointe Mayor Michael Klinefelt said that he was excited that the city was selected for the grant.

“Eastpointe is always looking for opportunities to improve our green infrastructure and reduce stormwater runoff,” he said.

The GreenPointe Community Initiative was started in 2023 by an Eastpointe resident who hoped to inspire Eastpointe residents to request trees to be planted in easements between sidewalks and streets throughout the city. The trees are provided through a partnership with Green Macomb, a program aimed at providing trees to communities seeking to increase tree canopies.

The goal of the GreenPointe initiative is to advance climate equity and resilience in Eastpointe, said Ruie Zerbel, Eastpointe’s sustainable solutions fellow.

“Through nature-based infrastructure improvements, including bioretention cells and tree planting initiatives, the city will work toward protecting freshwater bodies, improving air quality and fostering community engagement in sustainable places,” she said in an email. “It feels incredible to have received this generous award, as I know it has been a long time coming for Eastpointe.”

The Consumers Energy Foundation provides Planet Awards to Michigan nonprofits for projects that are aimed at impacting preservation and restoration of Michigan’s land, water and air, according to the press release. The awards are the first of three grant opportunities that the foundation provides each year.

According to Zerbel, the funding will go toward constructing rain gardens and bioretention cells along Nine Mile Road, which will capture and filter stormwater runoff, draw in native pollinators and bolster the community’s connection to natural systems.

Additionally there is also a tree equity improvement program as part of the initiative, which aims to increase the city’s tree canopy coverage and develop a small tree nursery in an underutilized park, Zerbel said.

“The initiative as a whole has a strong emphasis on environmental equity and community-focused growth,” she said.

Residents who want to receive a tree can visit eastpointemi.gov/community/tree_equity_improvement_program.php to fill out an interest form.