PECK, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s (LEO) Office of Rural Prosperity awarded $852,000 to support 19 different rural community projects across what they call Michigan’s ten Prosperity Regions through the Rural Readiness Grant Program. The prosperity regions include ten divided areas of the state by region.
Why do rural communities need help?
The LEO grant provides rural communities with up to $50,000 to support collaborative planning and capacity initiatives. According to the LEO press release announcing the grants on Monday, “These competitive, reimbursement grants support and invest in underserved areas and populations by providing reimbursement grant funding for capacity building activities, development readiness initiatives, partnership and plan formation and cross sector collaboration.”
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LEO Director Susan Corbin says, “Michigan’s rural communities play an integral role in our economy. These funds will allow communities across Michigan to complete projects that provide vital resources to help their residents thrive.”
How will the grants be used?
The 19 projects supported by the Rural Readiness Grant Program will address needs related to childcare; housing, development readiness, health and emergency preparedness; non-motorized transportation infrastructure; and general capacity-building activities for local, county and tribal governments, nonprofits, economic development organizations, community foundations, regional planning agencies and health service providers across the state.
Sarah Lucas, director of the Office of Rural Prosperity says, “Rural communities need to plan for projects that will address complex challenges like housing shortages and health access, but often lack the funding or staff resources to do so.
Lucas adds, “The Rural Readiness Grant Program invests in underserved areas across the state to help them prepare for solutions to a wide range of needs. We’re excited to see these projects lead the way to positive change for Michigan residents.”
A list of grantees that will be providing services to rural communities.
Listed below are a few of the planned projects that were awarded grants:
Upper Peninsula Health Care Solutions, Inc. (counties of Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Otsego, Oscoda, Roscommon, and Presque Isle) – Awarded $50K to establish a network of behavioral health care providers, hospitals, clinics, health departments, tribal health care organizations, and third-party payers to evaluate and develop a region-wide solution to behavioral and mental health care access issues for U.P. residents.
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The Great Lakes Recovery Centers (15 U.P. counties and Northern Lower Michigan) – Awarded $50K to develop property site in Sault Ste. Marie for new Women’s New Hope House (WNHH), a residential treatment center.
The story of a village in need.
The Village of Peck (counties of Sanilac, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Van Buren, Lapeer, St. Clair, Eaton and Oakland) – Awarded $50K to hire an experienced grant writer to work with communities in each of the regions of this project to develop a project and also provide training on how to successfully apply for grant funding.
Tim Heiden, village supervisor for the Village of Peck says, “Smaller communities often struggle obtaining grant funding because they can’t afford an on staff grant writer or training for a current staff member. Thanks to the Rural Readiness Grant Program funding, we will be able to hire an experienced grant writer to work with communities and provide training on how to successfully apply for grant funding to give us a better chance at bringing in needed funding for our smaller communities.”
The full list of organizations receiving the grant money is available.
For a full list of the grantees, click here. To learn more about the Rural Readiness Grant Program visit the website for the Office of Rural Prosperity: michigan.gov/ORP.
The Office of Rural Prosperity works across sectors to foster strategic and coordinated investments in people and places, with an intentional focus on building the capacity and resources necessary meet complex rural needs. Founded in 2022 as the Office of Rural Development by Executive Directive in 2022-01, the office was renamed the Office of Rural Prosperity by Executive Order in 2023 (EO 2023-06).
