Contact:
Jessica Weirauch
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected], 734-669-6311
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2024
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity (LEO) and the Michigan Municipal League have launched MI Funding Hub (MIFundingHub.org), an online technical assistance program to help communities access grant funds. The free program serves all municipalities in the State of Michigan, including villages, townships, cities and counties.
“The Michigan Association of Counties sees the value of this work,” said Derek Melot, Director of Communications and Marketing of the Michigan Association of Counties. “County governments need help like this to sort through the many grant opportunities coming from federal and state sources.”
MI Funding Hub includes a robust online library of available grants and funding opportunities that will help municipalities gain knowledge about what funds are available to them. The League will also provide technical assistance, which includes training, outreach, and an online help desk. These resources will help communities identify grants that best suit their needs.
“The new MI Funding Hub will help municipalities of all sizes and in all corners of the entire state more easily find opportunities to help fund local projects and initiatives. Searching for state and federal grants can be a complex maze of information and requirements. This important program will benefit every township, city, village and county, improving grant-seeking strategies and helping local leaders to better their communities,” said Judy Allen, Government Relations Director of the Michigan Townships Association.
The Hub will connect communities with funds from multiple sources. There are many new state and federal funds available, particularly from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. The League will also maintain a partial list of private resources, such as philanthropic foundations, that have funds directed towards municipal projects.
Municipal projects the Hub will support include a variety of public projects, such as long-standing and future infrastructure needs, economic development, housing, water, transportation and workforce development.
“We are very proud to offer this program to Michigan’s communities,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the League. “These resources are critical in helping our municipalities access the funding they need for growth, infrastructure and other projects to help them thrive.”
Many communities, especially those that are small and medium-sized, need help to navigate through their options to decide what best fits their community’s needs. The program primarily caters to smaller communities with limited capacity and disadvantaged ones that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.
“Rural communities are faced with both complex challenges and exciting opportunities—but, in order to build solutions or capitalize on new opportunities, they must navigate a complicated landscape of funding sources and agencies in order to find grants or technical,” said Sarah Lucas, Director of the Office of Rural Prosperity at LEO. “Often, they’re unable to connect to the right resources because of time, budget and staff constraints. The MI Funding Hub’s centralized, searchable database of current and upcoming state and federal funding opportunities, coupled with opportunities for technical assistance, simplifies processes and improves access to important resources for the communities that need them most.”
LEO and the League have partnered to make MI Funding Hub possible. Learn more about the partnership from this previous press release here.
To learn more about this program or get technical assistance in navigating funding opportunities, visit MIFundingHub.org or contact the League team at [email protected].
For additional information, contact the League’s Jessica Weirauch, Director of Marketing and Communications, at 734-669-6311 and [email protected].
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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