Rural Readiness Grant Program recognizes importance of strengthening the state’s rural communities
Lansing, Mich.—Today, 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 Michigan’s ten Prosperity Regions through the Rural Readiness Grant Program. The grant provides rural communities with up to $50,000 to support collaborative planning and capacity initiatives. 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.
“Michigan’s rural communities play an integral role in our economy,” said LEO Director Susan Corbin. “These funds will allow communities across Michigan to complete projects that provide vital resources to help their residents thrive.”
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.
“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,” said Sarah Lucas, director of the Office of Rural Prosperity. “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.”
Planned projects include:
Learn more about the Rural Readiness Grant Program by visiting Michigan.gov/ORP.
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About the Office of Rural Prosperity
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).
