Contact:
Kathleen Achtenberg, MEDC
517.489.0557
[email protected]

Bridget Smith
City Manager, City of Frankenmuth
989.652.9901
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2025

$50,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

LANSING, Mich. – The City of Frankenmuth will soon be home to eight new public pickleball courts adjacent to the City’s existing office and public safety complex. This project will be fulfilled through the anticipated success of a crowdfunding campaign that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the City of Frankenmuth announced today, which is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by August 22^nd, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/muth.

“Access to free and public recreation is a key component of positive public health outcomes and we are happy to support that with the development of these new community pickleball courts in Frankenmuth,” said MEDC Regional Prosperity Managing Director Paula Holtz. “We are pleased to provide resources for this effort through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

During the past decade, local pickleball players traveled to neighboring communities to play or played on the local tennis courts. The sport of pickleball first arrived in Frankenmuth through a dedicated local resident named Dave Budnik about 12 years ago, and now thanks to an organized group of residents (and pickleball players), the City agreed that they have the demand and the space for pickleball.

This grassroots effort has partnered with the City of Frankenmuth to identify an ideal location and develop a plan for construction in 2025. The eight new regulation-sized courts complete with seating and parking will be close to dense neighborhoods and find their new home adjacent to the City’s office and public safety complex. These new courts will be located within a half mile of half of all the households in Frankenmuth and will make pickleball accessible for all residents.

“This is a project that started with a group of passionate residents, committed to finding a way to find a permanent home for pickleball,” said Tom Meyer, Mayor of the City of Frankenmuth. “Our community has come to appreciate that pickleball is truly a sport for everyone – whether it’s physical activity, motivation, or social connection.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League and Patronicity, in which residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“Pickleball is currently sweeping the nation; it’s a fun, accessible recreational activity that simultaneously improves physical and mental wellbeing,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League. “By creating this dedicated space for pickleball players of all ages and skill levels, this initiative will strengthen the social fabric of Frankenmuth.”

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of July 8, 2025, MEDC has provided more than $14.3 million in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 415 projects have been successful in reaching their goal, with more than $16.3 million raised from 75,903 individual donors. Communities have a 97 percent success rate in achieving their goals and earning matching funds.

Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org. 

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