Grant Opportunity Deadline Extended!

The Partnerships for Change (PfC) Sustainable Communities Program has extended its application deadline to Friday, July 30, 2010. The new grants will provide over $250,000 in professional services and technical assistance to combinations of municipalities that have agreed to work together for productive changes in their shared communities. 

There are two key requirements for participation in the PfC Sustainable Communities Program:

1. A commitment to adopting new policies and/or programs providing additional protections for critical natural and cultural resources and/or urban redevelopment.
2. A commitment to cooperative planning with one or more neighboring municipalities as a means of developing and adopting these policies and programs.

The PfC Sustainable Communities Program is requesting proposals from municipalities interested in fostering these community changes. The PfC Sustainable Communities Service Grants are available in three different project categories, depending on the need of the community, ranging from under $7,000 to over $60,000 in total project value.

Quick Links

Program Description

One-Page Program Description

Inter-Jurisdictional Collaboration Summit Grants (new!)

First Step Service Grant

Small Scale & Large Scale Services Grants 

How to Apply?

Mail applications to:

Partnerships for Change Sustainable Communities

Land Information Access Association

324 Munson Ave.

Traverse City, MI 49686

You may also submit applications, as Adobe Acrobat .pdf documents, to partnerships@liaa.org.

Last fall, The Partnerships for Change Program  announce that six communities have been awarded professional service & technical assistance grants to help foster productive changes in their shared communities.

The Service Grants were awarded to:

Farmington Community - To Assist in the development of a Corridor Authority

Tri-County Community (Lansing) - To assist in the development of a comprehensive study to establish a service growth boundary

Suttons Bay Community - To assist in the development of a new joint zoning ordinance

Heart of the Lakes Community (Brooklyn) - To help clarify and organize potential cooperative planning options

East Manistee County Community - To help clarify and organize potential cooperative planning options

Boyne City Community - To help clarify and organize potential cooperative planning options alomg M-75

How Partnerships for Change Can Help Your Community

In early January 2009, over 50 local government officials participated in LIAA's three informative WEBINARS: How Partnerships for Change Can Help Your Community.  Download the webinar presentation here.

The WEBINARS were designed to help local officials become better acquainted with the Partnerships for Change (PfC) Sustainable Communities Program and provide information on how to apply for a service grant.

Please keep posted for another round of Webinars sometime in April of 2010.

The Program 

Developed by the Land Information Access Association (LIAA), Michigan Municipal League (MML), the Michigan Townships Association (MTA), Michigan State University Extension (MSUE), and Michigan Association of Planning (MAP), the overall mission of the program is to foster new and expanded cooperation between cities, townships and villages in developing and carrying out local land use policies that contribute to the preservation of cultural and natural resources.

Cooperative Land Use Planning

Download our new publication: Breaking Down Barriers to Cooperative Land Use Planning (PDF, 4 MB).  This attractive 16 page booklet provides a quick summary of the program including lessons learned and progress made through July, 2007. 

Program Sponsors

Partnerships for Change is generously funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Americana Foundation, C.S. Mott Foundation, Department of Environmental Quality's Coastal Management Program, Michigan Municipal League, and Michigan Townships Association. Thanks to this support, LIAA and its project partners will be able to offer extensive professional planning support and technical assistance to selected communities.