Community Growth Grants Available to Support Grand Vision Principles

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2012

Media Contacts:        

Dan Boss                                                         Matt McCauley
Program Publicity Specialist                        Director of Regional Planning &
Voice: (231) 929-5047                                   Community Development
Email: danboss@nwm.cog.mi.us              Voice: (231) 929-5061
                                                                           Email: mccauley@nwm.cog.mi.us

 

Community Growth Grants Available to Support Grand Vision Principles

NORTHWEST MI—Grants available through the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments (NWMCOG) will give local units of government in northwest lower Michigan an opportunity to support the principles of The Grand Vision.

The New Designs for Growth: Community Growth Grants program will award grants of up to $15,000, provided as cash or technical assistance, available on a competitive basis to city, village, township, and county governments within the six-county Grand Vision region. The grant deadline is September 7, 2012.

“These grants strengthen our region by removing barriers and creating incentives for greater public and private sector investment in the communities in our region,” said Matt McCauley, NWMCOG director of regional planning and community development. “Their purpose is to move The Grand Vision to action by providing direct financial support to communities for leadership, planning, collaboration, local decision-making, and action-oriented projects that enhance our communities’ sense of place, and build the foundation for a stronger regional economy.”

Successful projects will create a framework for sustainable and efficient growth and development by implementing strategies consistent with The Grand Vision principles.

The Grand Vision is a citizen-led vision for the future of land use, transportation, economic development and environmental stewardship in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, and Wexford counties.

The ultimate goal of The Grand Vision is to create prosperity by making the communities it serves more attractive and viable.

The New Designs for Growth: Community Growth Grants program is administered by the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, in partnership with the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, and is made possible through generous support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

For application instructions and more information, please contact Matt McCauley at (231) 929-5000.

 

#          #          #