The Redevelopmen Ready Communities (RRC) program is currently accepting applications from communities seeking to achieve redevelopment ready certification status. The RRC certification signals your community has worked hard to make reinvestment easy! Selected communities will receive an in-depth assessment, report of findings and support for implementation of recommended strategies needed to achieve certification. The evaluation measures a community to the six RRC best practices. Certification is awarded once a community demonstrates all best practice components have been met. Application for the RRC program can be found HERE. Completed applications including required materials are due by 5:00pm, February 8, 2013. Please review the application for further information. Any questions should be directed to RRC@michigan.org. 

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the Michigan Municipal League handling economic development issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

Did you just complete a building or landscape restoration? Do you know a worthy preservationist or organization in your community who deserves some recognition? Then nominate! The annual awards ceremony is the highlight of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network's annual conference and brings well-deserved recognition for Michigan’s best preservation projects and people. The application for the 2013 MHPN Awards is now available. Please download it from the MHPN's website here.  You all are doing some great things in your communities... Show them off!!

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the Michigan Municipal League handling economic development related issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

Dwell and Sub-Zero have joined together and created the Rethinking Preservation Contest.  Submit a landmark that you think should be preserved by January 30, 2012.  Dwell will post all submissions for a popular vote to narrow them all down to the top ten.  A panel of judges will then pick the most deserving out of the top ten and award $10,000 to the preservation project.  Get your submissions in soon!!  More details can be found at http://new.dwell.com/contests/rethinking-preservation. 

Nikki Brown is the Capital Office Coordinator.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org

Grants are now available for art-centered community projects.  These are grants to drive community revitalization with a new investment model that puts the arts at the center of economic development. These grants target organizations doing groundbreaking work in creative placemaking in communities. The funding comes from the National Endowment for the Art fund and is for nonprofit and public agencies.  There is $11.5 million available.  The largest grant size will be $1 million.  For more information visit: http://www.artplaceamerica.org/loi/

Nikki Brown is the Capital Office Coordinator for the League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0305 or nbrown@mml.org.