Michigan Municipal League January/February 2024 Review Magazine

The Lab Report

MI FUNDING HUB: A One-Stop Shop to Help Michigan Communities Access New State and Federal Funding –By Shanna Draheim

With billions of dollars in available funding for local units of government through programs like the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (BID), and the Inflation Reduction Act, there is a significant need by local leaders to easily track and access these grants as they become available. But for many communities across Michigan, especially small and medium-sized communities, navigating this process and developing projects and programs that meet their current and future needs exceeds their capacity. program to help communities successfully access federal recovery funds. We quickly followed this with our “MI Water Navigator” program that provides technical assistance to communities in accessing state revolving fund dollars for water infrastructure projects. These programs have provided training, direct technical assistance, and resources for several hundred communities to help plan and manage projects, get grant ready, and successfully apply for funding. As the number and complexity of state and federal grant funds has grown over the last year, the League realized we needed to expand and extend this technical assistance for our members. Through a partnership with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) for local capacity enhancement, we are scaling our work up into a comprehensive MI Funding Hub online resource center and technical assistance program. Responding to Member Needs In 2020, the Michigan Municipal League launched a

“This new funding from LEO will allow the League to build on our already successful technical assistance programs that are helping communities leverage new federal funding for high impact local programs,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the League. “This work will provide local governments with the critical information and tools they need to capitalize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity.” We know that our members and other local governments have a vision, and in many cases are ready to implement plans, for investments in their communities that will improve well-being and quality of life for their residents, but often lack the capacity to search for and successfully apply for external funding. Our goal over the next two years is to support local leaders in understanding, seeking, and successfully deploying new grant funds for economic growth, infrastructure, and other critical community projects. Leveraging these resources is critical to making Michigan a place that attracts and retains businesses and people. MI Funding Hub Services The newly expanded MI Funding Hub program provides three services for Michigan communities: • A robust online portal that provides easy to navigate information on available and future grant funds, resources for planning and managing projects, and details on events and programming related to new funding opportunities;

The MI Funding Hub is a joint venture of The Michigan Municipal League and The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

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| January/February 2024