Detroit church completes solar array despite EPA funding freeze

Pilgrim Baptist Church celebrates renewable energy upgrades after narrowly avoiding loss of federal grants.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Pilgrim Baptist Church in Detroit's Conant Gardens neighborhood has completed the installation of a solar panel system on its roof, despite the Trump administration's freeze on $20 million in EPA grants intended for community resilience hubs across the city. The church was able to draw down a portion of the funds before the cutbacks, enabling it to move forward with the solar project and other energy efficiency upgrades. Pilgrim Baptist now operates a 27.06 kW rooftop solar array and solar energy batteries for on-site storage, helping the church save an estimated $4,700 per year in energy costs.

Why it matters

The completion of Pilgrim Baptist's solar array highlights the challenges faced by houses of worship, food pantries, and other community organizations in Detroit that were at risk of losing out on major energy efficiency gains due to the EPA funding freeze. The solar project is part of a broader effort to transform these 'cornerstones in the community' into climate resilience hubs, powered by renewable energy and capable of sheltering residents during extreme weather emergencies and utility outages.

The details

Before the Trump administration moved to freeze the $20 million in EPA grants, the Detroit solar initiative was able to draw down a portion of the funding, enabling it to begin the solar installation work with half of the proposed locations. Pilgrim Baptist Church was one of 20 sites across Detroit targeted for this transformation into a climate resilience hub. The church has also made other building improvements, including installing mini splits, an HVAC system, and new furnaces, which have helped it save money and better serve the community through its weekly mobile food distribution program.

  • In 2025, Pilgrim Baptist Church served as many as 25,000 people through its mobile food distribution partnership with Forgotten Harvest, up from roughly 20,000 the previous year.
  • In 2023, Pilgrim and 10 other houses of worship were recipients of the 'Sacred Spaces' grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, which provided funding for a series of energy efficiency improvements.
  • The resilient hub initiative at Pilgrim Baptist Church and other sites across Detroit was launched at the end of 2024.

The players

Pilgrim Baptist Church

A church in Detroit's Conant Gardens neighborhood that operates a weekly mobile food distribution program and has completed a solar array and other energy efficiency upgrades to become a climate resilience hub.

Leah Wiste

The executive director of Michigan Interfaith Power & Light, an organization that helped facilitate the solar project at Pilgrim Baptist Church.

Briana DuBose

The executive director of EcoWorks, an organization that is focusing on 13 houses of worship in Detroit as part of the effort to transform them into climate resilience hubs.

Rev. Yvette Griffin

The lead pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church, who convened the congregation to celebrate the completion of the solar array installation.

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What they’re saying

“This solar project was able to come to fruition because we were able to get those drawdowns under the wire, ahead of the cancellation.”

— Leah Wiste, Executive Director, Michigan Interfaith Power & Light (planetdetroit.org)

“Because of the upgrades that we have, we're able to save money.”

— Rev. Yvette Griffin, Lead Pastor, Pilgrim Baptist Church (planetdetroit.org)

“We wanted this resilient hub to be a community center that would allow access to residents to be able to thrive.”

— Briana DuBose, Executive Director, EcoWorks (planetdetroit.org)

What’s next

The remaining funds for the resilient hub initiative are 'sitting in our treasury account waiting for us to use' while a coalition of national environmental groups and local governments is in litigation with the federal government over the allocation of the remaining money.

The takeaway

This case highlights the importance of community-based organizations like Pilgrim Baptist Church in providing essential services and building climate resilience, even in the face of shifting federal funding priorities. The successful completion of the solar array project at Pilgrim Baptist demonstrates the determination of these 'cornerstones in the community' to find ways to reduce their energy costs and become more self-sufficient.