Make MI Home

Please note: this program is not available to individuals at this time. Sign up to receive our newsletter for updates.

Program Overview

To act on the insights gained from our polling and public engagement efforts, the Growth Office will award a total of $500,000 in pilot funds across the state to help communities encourage talent to lay down roots in their communities.

The goal of the Make MI Home pilot is to test the efficacy of unique talent attraction and retention strategies as a tool to course correct our overall population trends and get Michigan back into a healthy growth cycle.

Selected applicants will have 12 months to select eligible applicants to participate in their regionally specific talent attraction and/or retention program. The Growth Office will require an interim report showcasing progress, specifically the number of applications received so far, at the beginning of March 2025.

Program Background

The Growth Office knows that our diverse residents are what make Michigan communities so great. We have continued to engage with young talent in Michigan and across the nation to hear from them about what they look for in a place to call home and what factors motivate them to relocate. Our most recent national poll revealed top considerations of young talent when choosing a new location and this pilot’s accompanying report on talent attraction and retention programs across the nation can inform applicants on program strategies in their regions.

Improving overall net migration trends will lead to positive outcomes in all facets of life for Michiganders: an increased revenue base to support critical public services and schools, a robust talent pool necessary to find and attract high growth jobs, and a stronger economy for small business and entrepreneurs across the state, to name a few. Creating a value proposition to attract and retain young talent is crucial in competing with faster growing cities and states across the country.

Program Eligibility

The Growth Office believes that creating a future of shared prosperity is going to require a team effort. To ensure the Make MI Home program is collaborative, the Growth Office requires proposals to originate from project consortiums of eligible entities in the same State of Michigan prosperity regions or share a border with the lead organization’s prosperity region.

Eligible proposals must include the participation of at least one of the following: local government entity, economic development organization, nonprofit, philanthropic foundation, and/or a talent attraction organization located in Michigan. Applicants are encouraged to develop multi-sector proposals.

Proposals must identify one lead organization within the application consortium to be responsible for administering funds, and further detail the mechanisms by which qualified awardees are transferred program benefits.

To ensure sufficient funds are allocated for internal administration requirements of the regional talent program, the Growth Office requires a 20% grant match to receive pilot funds.

Pilot Opportunity

Entities selected to participate in the Make MI Home pilot will receive a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), to be used for piloting innovative talent attraction and retention programs in their regions. The Growth Office will partner with grantees in marketing their programs.

Grants will be up to $250,000; size of grants awarded will be determined by the following:

1. Population of prosperity region(s) relative to the entire state population,
2. Number of people the consortium intends to serve,
3. Proposed program details, and
4. Quality of application

Program Requirements

Pilot program proposals must contain the following:

1. Target Audience (Attraction vs. Retention): Proposals must identify whether the pilot program is designed to 1) attract new residents, 2) retain current residents, or 3) both.
   Proposals should also include the number of resident applicants intend to serve through this pilot.
   
   
2. Awardee Eligibility: Proposals must detail characteristics which qualify an individual/household to be eligible for the program benefit. Qualifications should be aligned with the target audience as described within the proposal. This may include, but is not limited to:
   
   Talent Attraction
   • Educational requirement (i.e., recent STEM graduates)
   • Current job industry or work experience to fill talent gaps (i.e., healthcare, education, construction, etc.)
   • Remote work flexibility
     
     
   Talent Retention
   
   • Current job industry or work experience to fill talent gaps
     
     
3. Program Benefit: Proposals must detail program benefits to be distributed to awardees. Examples of incentives include, but are not limited to:
   
   
   • Community welcome programs
   • Down payment assistance/rental payment assistance
   • Reverse scholarships
   • Relocation Support
   • Outdoor recreation or cultural institution access
     
     

   The following projects, to name a few, do not qualify for funding:

   • Existing programs
   • Tourism attraction programs
   • Project proposals originating from a single applicant
   • Project proposals originating from out-of-state applicants
   • Talent programs that do not include incentivizing relocation or retention of residents
     
     
4. Non-Monetary Benefits: Proposals must detail additional, non-monetary offers for awardees. Non-monetary benefits should be tailored to reflect the community in which the consortium is located. Please include the value of the non-monetary benefit. Examples include, but are not limited to: 
   
   
   • Membership in a local professional networking group or co-working space
   • Membership to a local gym, recreational venue, or arts and culture venue
   • Transit passes (where applicable) for use of a local public transit
     
     
5. Service Opportunity: Proposals must detail a required service opportunity for benefit awardees. Service opportunities may be time-based (e.g. 1-hour each quarter) or project-based. Examples of such service opportunities include, but are not limited to:
   
   
   • Partnering with a local community development organization or municipality to build a talent attraction/retention growth strategy
   • Partnering with a local chamber of commerce to tailor a brand/marketing strategy for young talent
   • Supporting direct-service community nonprofits
   • Assisting with placemaking efforts (public space cleanup, public art activations, community gardens, etc.)
     
     
6. Minimum Residency Requirement: Individuals selected to receive a benefit must remain in Michigan for at least 12 months.
   
   
7. Marketing Strategy: Please outline the consortium’s plan and budget to market the regional pilot to ensure broad reach to eligible individuals. Please note: Grantees will be required to utilize Let’s Grow Michigan branding in their marketing efforts. Grantees will be provided with style guides to ensure consistent branding.

Entities selected to participate in Make MI Home will be required to work with the MEDC to administer the program. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Identifying appropriate mechanism to receive funds
• Ensuring the Growth Office brand standards are met
• Submitting an interim and final grant report
• Conducting participant outreach six months after the program is concluded to determine efficacy of pilot

Additionally, selected entities will be asked to participate in the Growth Office presentations, panels, and/or industry conversations about the Make MI Home pilot program.

Scoring Criteria

Program Timeline

• Application Period: July 22, 2024 – August 14, 2024
• MEDC Review Period: August 16, 2024 – August 20, 2024
• Award Announcement: Mid-September 2024

Application and Deadline

Applications for the Make MI Home pilot program closed Wednesday, August 14. Regional recipients will be announced in September 2024. Sign up to receive our newsletter for updates when these programs become available to individuals.

Questions? 

Find answers to commonly asked questions about the Make MI Home pilot here. If you have questions regarding the Make MI Home pilot program, please contact the Growth Office team at [email protected] with a subject line of “Make MI Home.”