Michigan Growth Office Announces $500,000 in New Grant Funding Available Through Make MI Home, First-in-the-Nation Program to Retain and Attract Talent

Applications are now open statewide to partners with innovative ideas for regional programs that encourage talent to make Michigan their home

LANSING, MI - Today, the Michigan Growth Office announced a new call for applications for the second round of Make MI Home, a first-in-the-nation regional talent retention and attraction program.  

The Office will award $500,000 in grant funding to groups made up of nonprofits, local governments, economic development organizations, philanthropic foundations and talent attraction organizations in Michigan. Interested entities will work together to design unique programs that ensure growth strategies are locally driven and tailored to each area’s specific needs and opportunities.  

“My first priority is helping more families and small businesses ‘make it’ in Michigan,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Last year, Make MI Home awarded $661,250 to five regions across Michigan to create unique programs that retain and attract talented workers to Michigan. This program goes hand in hand with our work to create more good-paying jobs, build more affordable housing, expand access to education from pre-K to postsecondary, and unleash Michigan innovators. Thanks to our work, we’ve seen real change, with Detroit’s population growing for the first time in 67 years and more families and businesses calling Michigan home. We’ll continue working to build on our positive momentum and make our state an even better place to call home. Let’s keep working together to grow Michigan.” 

“Our number one job as public servants is to make Michigan the best place to live, work, start a business, or grow a family,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Thanks to feedback from more than 10,000 Michiganders, we are building on the groundbreaking Make MI Home program and continuing our work to help communities meet workforce needs and grow our economy. Let’s keep working together to build a bright future and make Michigan a beacon of opportunity.” 

Recipients from the first round of Make MI Home included Discover Southwest Michigan ($100K), Grand Valley State University ($200K), Middle Michigan Development Corporation ($20K), TechTown Detroit ($250K) and West Michigan Works! ($91,250). Their programs are set to launch over the next year.  

“As the Michigan Growth Office enters its second year, we’ve learned a lot in a short amount of time. One of the most important takeaways is to grow Michigan’s population in communities across our state, we can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. This second round of Make MI Home ensures that even more regions are supported, their diversity celebrated, and transformative growth strategies are put into motion,” said Michigan’s Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe. “We’ve already seen some big growth-oriented wins that Michiganders should be incredibly proud of including continued growth over two U.S. Census Bureau data releases, a top five rank among states for the largest acceleration in growth among 25-44-year-olds, and over 33,000 individuals interested in living and working in Michigan signing up in the Michigan Career Portal as a result of our ambitious growth efforts, to name a few. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished together so far. This effort is working. We’re seeing the positive momentum. I can’t wait to see the results as our regions’ implement their best and brightest ideas as part of this first-of-its-kind program, Make MI Home. Let’s grow, Michigan!” 

Interested applicants are required to organize consortiums within the same or adjacent prosperity regions and are responsible for launching their program and making it available to current and future residents if selected. Consortiums have 12 months from the time funds are disbursed to award funding to accepted individuals, who must remain in Michigan for at least 12 months. The Growth Office plans to announce grant recipients at the end of May. 

Applications close Friday, May 2 at 5 p.m.   

For more information and to apply, visit: www.michiganbusiness.org/makemihome 

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.