Past Neighborhood Microgrant Recipients:
These Bridge Builders grants offered $500 grants for Michigan residents to design and launch creative projects and events in their neighborhoods. These efforts build trust and belonging, reinforce the value of individual wellbeing, and celebrate diversity and culture.
2021:
Adventure/Imagination Center for Development, Saginaw – During the pandemic, Benjamin Champagne, a curatorial assistant at the Saginaw Art Museum, started hosting "renegade" art events around the Saginaw community. The events included poetry slams in the laundromat and on the bus and movie screenings from local filmmakers under bridges. This grant allowed him to expand his events with new speakers and a power inverter so he could reach more people.
Art Pole Project, Rogers City – 17 artists ages 5 and up painted and designed PVC poles that were displayed around the city in parks and near local businesses. The microgrant allowed the artists to create more poles for their trail system and local senior community.
Burns Seneca Fischer Jr Block Club, Detroit – The Burns Seneca Fischer Jr Block Club in Detroit is a youth block club made of approximately 35 youth ages 4 to 19 who meet and decide on community projects that they want to do. In 2021, block club youth had a field day with back-to-school supplies and fun for all.
Casa de Rosado Center Mercado, Lansing – Casa de Rosado hosts Sunday mercados (markets) with artists selling their products and live performing artists like dancers and musicians. This microgrant brought music and dancing to the mercado for the first time.
Deeply Rooted, Trenton – Trenton is a designated Trail Town along the Iron Belle Trail. Through the Deeply Rooted project, local businesses and civic groups created illuminated sculptures on the tree trunks along the main commercial corridor and hosted an unveiling reception.
Food Relief for Our Detroit Community, Detroit – The Charles Drew Horticulture Program is a specialized school-based program for special needs students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities, hearing, and visual disabilities, and those with autism. Microgrant funding allowed the program to purchase much needed equipment resulting in greater learning opportunities for students and more food for the community.
Good Stock Detroit Community Marketplace, Detroit – The Marketplace is a seasonal outdoor market run by the Warren Connor Development Coalition and Eastside Community Network that serves as a community gathering space for sit-down dining, networking, resource sharing, recreation, and entertainment. Microgrant funds were used to purchase a generator, allowing for more event types and flexibility. This grantee also hosted community events including a block party and trick or treat event.
Joo Won Park, Kresge Art Fellow, Detroit – A group of Korean American performing artists in Michigan hosted an evening-length show consisting of music, dance, and multimedia art. Joo Won Park, assistant professor of Music Technology at Wayne State University and Joori Jung, the director of Art Lab J curated the show and panel session.
PorchFest, Traverse City – The Central Neighborhood is a mixed income area where, for the past two years, they hosted PorchFest, an event where over 30 musicians play sets on porches throughout the Central Neighborhood. Microgrant funding allowed PorchFest to expand outreach efforts and attract more locals to this free event.
Singing in the Rain, Vassar – The city of Vassar will use hydrophobic paint to paint the city with interactive art along the sidewalks leading to and throughout their downtown. They also plan to hold events around the street art to engage families and residents.
The Jefferson Chalmers Farmers Market, Detroit – Jefferson Chalmers Farmers Market is a community farmers market that serves as a micro-business and micro-agribusiness incubator. This microgrant supported vendor and attendee needs and helped increase food access in this Detroit neighborhood.
The West Ann Street Placemaking Project, Sault Ste. Marie – The West Ann Street Placemaking Project is a partnership among local businesses and neighborhood leaders. Through microgrant funding, a public space was transformed with a mural, landscaping, and amenities for dog-owners. This created a sense of place in the neighborhood and sparked a sense of neighborhood pride.
2022:
Bumblebee Plains Community Gathering, Hastings—A series of events will bring neighbors together and foster new connections. Events will include tiny porch concerts, a kids’ bike parade, and an art project.
Chelsea Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Service and Social Action, Chelsea—This project will unite the community around small acts of service and action, like blanket making, and empower youth to engage in systems of change.
DH Community Food Pantry Project, Dearborn Heights—This project, through collaborative partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, and government, will fill and install mini food pantries across the community helping to highlight food scarcity issues in our state.
Downtown Iron Mountain Public Art Sky Installation, Iron Mountain—With the help of local businesses, nonprofits, and government, Friends of the Iron Mountain Downtown Development Authority will install art across alleyways to draw people downtown.
Friendship Poles, Romeo—The local art center will work with high school students and the area Boy Scout troop to build, paint, and install art poles to enliven downtown Romeo.
Heritage Garden Makeover, Ortonville—Ortonville will overhaul an underused community space and turn it into a downtown hub of activity. Funding will provide lights and landscaping to kick off this multi-phase project.
Lennon Veteran's Park, Lennon—This project will help advance a phased approach to develop a park honoring area veterans and revitalizing downtown Lennon. Funding will provide landscaping and seating.
Majestic Riverview Park Mural, Cheboygan—Designed by a local Indigenous artist, this project will paint a mural on the site of a yet-to-be-developed downtown park welcoming people to Cheboygan and celebrating the community’s diversity.
Swingin' Good Times! New Haven—This project will support New Haven’s goal to overhaul a community park to be more inclusive. Funding will help provide an adaptive swing for the park.
The Plaster Creek Mural Project, Grand Rapids—Highlighting the importance of water quality and community engagement, this project will install an educational mural along polluted Plaster Creek and support seasonal clean ups too.
Past Main Street Microgrant Recipients:
These Bridge Builders grants awarded $5000 for creative projects that physically transformed community spaces. Local businesses and artists are critical to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of their community. For this reason, those applying for Main Street Microgrants had to have local artists, small business representatives, and a local elected official involved in their project.
2021:
Anton Art Center, Mount Clemens Cultural Harmonies, Mount Clemens – This project installed musical instrument sculptures in downtown Mount Clemens and funded a local musician to lead free “jam sessions” with the community. The goal was to support business activity while also creating a new community cultural experience for downtown.
Heights History through our Artistic Eyes, Muskegon Heights – This project brought together Muskegon Heights residents, artists, and business owners to learn about the history of their community through events and art. Funding supported a back-to-school event. It also supported a beautification event where community members painted light poles and curbs, landscaped around trees, and add flowers. Finally, the community added artistic displays to downtown building fronts, light poles, and green spaces during the holiday season.
Morenci Downtown Lot Reclamation, Morenci – With this grant, the Revitalize Morenci Initiative Committee alongside a group of residents transformed an empty lot through the installation of an interactive mural, seating, and picnic areas. The area featured new permanent corn hole game boards and interactive play opportunities, as well as lighting, landscaping, and high school art installations.
Racks for Rides: Inter-RACK-tive design for a Bikeable Hamtramck, Hamtramck – This microgrant funded 10 new bike racks on Joseph Campau Street, aligning with the Joe Louis Greenway initiative. An art competition, using the bike racks as a canvas, was held with residents voting on the winner.
Resilient Ludington Street, Escanaba – Developed by the Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission in Escanaba, this project was a streetscape placemaking experiment featuring pedestrian friendly improvements. It included café seating, street side planters, integrated community art, and music and recreational events based around participating businesses.
2022:
ARTificial Intelligence, Flint—This project will utilize Artificial Intelligence art generators in collaboration with local human artists to create original artworks from unique prompts for a public exhibit spread across downtown Flint businesses.
Discover the Underground Railroad, Monroe—A series of events, centered in downtown Monroe, will explore the community’s role in the underground railroad. Events will include a dramatic reading for kids, an evening lecture, and a performance of the Spirit of Harriet Tubman.
La Esquina Nighttime Marketplace, Detroit—Centered in Mexicantown, this project will bring together local businesses, artists, and youth entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses and empower local youth through a pop-up marketplace.
Magic Carpet and Music in the Courtyard, Bridgman—Local students, a lead artist, and downtown businesses will work together to design and paint a mural in a downtown public space. Local musicians will then activate the space through performances.