Centrepolis MI Climate

Program Type: In-person
Location: Southeast Michigan
Investment: None
Program Fee: None
Program Duration: A few weeks to a few months
Industry of Focus: Sustainability, Climate, Decarbonization

Key Highlights

Program Overview

The MI Climate Wise Business Program, launched in partnership with Fresh Coast Climate Solutions and Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University, offers complimentary technical assistance to small and medium-sized businesses in southeast Michigan. The program aims to help these businesses advance their sustainability and climate-related goals, enhancing their economic competitiveness through expert consulting in areas such as sustainability readiness, program development, alternative materials, and electrification.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Exclusion

Small or medium-sized businesses or not-for-profit organizations with headquarters, manufacturing, or other physical presence in southeast Michigan are eligible.

Benefits Details and Perks/Credits

• Build sustainability goals and metrics into business models and strategic plans
• Incorporate ongoing sustainability and climate practices into business operations
• Ensure a continuous method of tracking sustainability metrics and data
• Effectively mitigate risks and build business resilience
• Reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs), boost economic competitiveness, and help secure additional growth and investment
• Access to expert consulting at no cost
• Identify cost savings through energy or waste reductions
• Improve positioning for future grants or investments by having a sustainability plan
• Connect with additional resources (utility rebates, government programs, etc.) to implement recommendations

Program Format

The Climate Wise program is project-based, with engagements typically lasting a few weeks to a few months. It begins with an on-site assessment by the Fresh Coast Climate Solutions team, followed by data gathering, report development, and action planning. The program is one-on-one, with customized engagements for each business, and includes follow-up meetings to integrate recommendations into the business strategy.

Location or Relocation Requirements

Eligible companies must have their headquarters, operations, or a physical presence in Southeast Michigan. The program serves businesses already in the SE Michigan community and does not require relocation.

Cohort Size and Program Frequency

The program is not cohort-based; multiple companies are assisted in parallel.

Company Types Requirements

Eligible organizations include small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or nonprofits in Southeast Michigan. The program targets businesses with operations that impact the environment and have a defined need or goal related to sustainability in one of the four service categories.

Founding Team Preferences

The program serves established organizations regardless of who leads them. Enthusiastic leadership buy-in is helpful for implementing operational changes suggested by the program.

MI Climate Wise Business Program

Program Type: A technical assistance program (consultancy-style, not an investment accelerator) aimed at existing small and mid-sized companies. Launched in partnership with Fresh Coast Climate Solutions in 2023, it offers complimentary on-site consulting to help businesses develop and implement sustainability and climate action plans​
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​
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. It’s essentially a free sustainability advisory service for businesses in the region, helping them become more “climate wise.”
Location: Focused on Southeast Michigan. Eligible companies must have their headquarters, operations, or a physical presence in Southeast Michigan (e.g. Metro Detroit area)​
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. The program specifically serves this region’s businesses to improve local sustainability outcomes. Services are delivered at the company’s site (in-person visits) and through remote analysis. It’s not a relocation program – it serves businesses already in the SE Michigan community.
Focus Areas: Corporate sustainability and decarbonization strategies. The program works in four technical assistance areas: (1) Sustainability Readiness – assessing a company’s current carbon/energy/waste baseline and identifying ways to reduce environmental impact​
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. (2) Program Development – creating sustainability programs with clear goals and metrics (e.g. setting up internal sustainability teams, reporting frameworks)​
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. (3) Alternative Materials & Circularity – analyzing materials and processes to find opportunities for recycling, upcycling, or using greener alternatives​
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. (4) Electrification – evaluating options like solar panels, energy storage, electrifying HVAC or vehicle fleets, EV charging, etc., to help companies cut emissions and improve resilience​
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. Essentially, any small manufacturer or business wanting to “go green” in operations is the target client. The outcome is a set of tailored recommendations (and possibly initial steps) to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and often save costs.
Program Format & Duration: The Climate Wise program is project-based. A typical engagement might last a few weeks to a few months. It often begins with an on-site assessment by the Fresh Coast Climate Solutions team, working closely with the company’s management​
centrepolisaccelerator.com
. They gather data on energy use, waste streams, etc., then develop a report and action plan. There may be follow-up meetings to help the business integrate the recommendations into their strategy. The program is one-on-one (not cohort-based); each business gets a customized engagement focusing on its specific sustainability needs. Multiple companies are assisted in parallel. There is no formal graduation or demo day – the “deliverable” is the set of sustainability improvements achieved or planned.
Investment & Benefits: This program does not provide direct funding to the businesses, but the value is in the expert consulting provided at no cost. Benefits to participating companies include: establishing measurable sustainability goals and metrics, integrating sustainability into their business model and operations, identifying cost savings through energy or waste reductions, and often improving their positioning for future grants or investments by having a sustainability plan​
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. Many companies use the findings to pursue efficiency upgrades or to market themselves as greener businesses. In practical terms, a company might, for example, discover how to cut electricity usage by 20% (reducing bills), set up a recycling program for its scrap materials, or develop a roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions over time. The program can also connect companies with additional resources (utility rebates, government programs, etc.) to implement recommendations. As one summary put it, Climate Wise provides “sustainability technical support… including greenhouse gas inventories, assessments, sustainability action plans, and guidance on sustainable practices”​
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. The intangible benefit is that companies become more resilient and competitive – as environmental regulations tighten and customers demand greener supply chains, these firms will be ahead of the curve​
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.
Program Fee: None. It is 100% free for qualifying businesses​
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. The program is funded by grants (including support from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation​
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) and by partner organizations like Fresh Coast and Automation Alley. Companies incur no out-of-pocket cost for the assessments – it’s essentially a pro bono service to drive regional climate action.
Eligibility Requirements: To qualify, an organization must be a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) or a nonprofit in Southeast Michigan​
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. In practice, “small or medium” typically means roughly <500 employees (the program doesn’t set a hard number in the public info, but that’s a common definition). Even very small businesses (family businesses, startups with a facility, etc.) can apply, as long as they have operations that impact the environment. Additionally, there must be a defined need or goal related to sustainability that fits into one of the four service categories​
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– e.g. reducing energy usage, exploring solar power, improving waste management. If a company’s needs are outside those areas (say, wanting help purely with social sustainability or something), it might not be a fit. But most environmental sustainability topics will qualify. Notably, manufacturers and industrial companies are a prime audience (because they have significant energy/material use), but the program also welcomes others (we see mention of “public institutions” in some contexts, but primarily it’s businesses). Nonprofits (e.g. maybe a community center or school) can also get help, which broadens the impact.
Founding Team Preferences: Not applicable in the usual sense – this program isn’t about the founding team, since it’s not a startup accelerator. It serves established organizations regardless of who leads them. From a founder perspective, if you are a startup founder who already runs a small production operation or facility, you could use this program to green your operations. But it’s not limited to startups; any eligible business owner or management team can participate. There are no demographic or background criteria – the only “team” consideration is that the business should be willing to dedicate some management time to work with the consultants and implement changes. Enthusiastic leadership buy-in is helpful, since the program will suggest operational changes.
Distinctive Features: The MI Climate Wise Business Program stands out by bringing sustainability consulting normally reserved for big firms to small local businesses, for free. It essentially lets an SME access expertise in carbon accounting, energy management, and circular economy that they likely do not have in-house. This can be transformative – e.g., a 50-person manufacturing shop could develop a full sustainability plan and start executing it without having to hire a sustainability manager. The partnership behind the program is also notable: Fresh Coast Climate Solutions (a climate consultancy) provides the technical experts, and Centrepolis Accelerator hosts the program to reach the business community​
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. Automation Alley (a tech and manufacturing industry association) is listed as a partner as well​
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, indicating the program is connected to broader Industry 4.0 and sustainability initiatives in Michigan. Another distinguishing feature is how it ties into larger goals: by helping many small businesses, the program contributes to Michigan’s climate targets (as noted by Michigan EIBC, this program was launched to support the state’s Healthy Climate Plan goals) and fosters a culture of sustainability among local enterprises. In summary, while it doesn’t provide funding or typical accelerator perks, MI Climate Wise offers high-value expertise to make businesses both greener and more competitive, which for a startup founder could mean lower operating costs and a stronger brand in a climate-conscious market