The Ypsilanti Performance Space

The Project

For a small organization like Ypsilanti Performance Space, known locally as The YPSI, being awarded $529,000 in grant funding to install solar-powered EV chargers was a significant achievement. But it almost didn’t end up happening.

The grant, awarded by the Michigan Public Service Commission, was structured as a reimbursement. That meant The YPSI had to figure out how to fund a project up front that cost nearly ten times its annual budget- and then wait to be paid back. If you’ve worked in this space, you know how common this is. 

Housed in a historic Gothic church in downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan, The YPSI has built its identity around community, hosting music and cultural events while also focusing on sustainability, installing their own rooftop solar and helping other local organizations do the same. This project was a natural extension of that work.

As co-founder Steve Pierce put it, the goal was simple: make EV charging available to people who otherwise wouldn’t have access, especially in a community where many residents live in older homes or apartments not equipped for it.

But when every bank said no, the project came within weeks of being cancelled. Then The YPSI was connected with BQuest.

What stood out to us wasn’t just the project’s impact, it was the readiness. The YPSI had a grant award letter in hand, a clear plan to install four BEAM Global EV ARC solar-powered charging systems, and a short installation timeline. The only missing piece was the ability to bridge the gap between award and reimbursement, so BQuest stepped in to provide that bridge.

The EV charging systems themselves are designed for exactly this kind of deployment: self-contained, no digging, no grid connection, powered entirely by sunlight, and able to operate during outages. Within months, the chargers were delivered and up and running.

Just as importantly, the reimbursement has already been received, the loan has been repaid to us, and we’ve redeployed the funding to new community clean energy projects.

Many of these types of impactful projects exist, but what’s missing is the right funding to get them across the finish line. They’re too small for traditional finance, they don’t have collateral or big balance sheets, and they aren't able to generate big returns. But they can deliver a big impact.

Catalytic capital can unlock projects that would otherwise never move forward. And because that capital is repaid, it can be deployed again and again.