The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity awarded 64-million dollars in Community Center Grant funds to 100 Michigan cities and organizations to expand programming.
ALMA, Mich (WJRT) – The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity awarded $64 million in Community Center Grant funds to 100 Michigan cities and organizations to expand programming.
The grant program builds on Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s ‘Make it in Michigan’ strategy, to win projects, invest in people and revitalize places.
The funding was awarded to 69 nonprofit agencies, 22 local governments and nine schools and universities.
In Saginaw County, VBM Community Outreach received $1.3 million, the READ Association of Saginaw County got $300,000 and the city of Alma in Gratiot County received $323,000.
Alma City Manager Aeric Ripley said the will use the funds to hire a full-time parks and rec coordinator who will create and implement new programs for the community.
Ripley said the funds are being welcomed with open arms and will be a way to start to implement new programming and supplement community programs that already exist.
“We haven’t had any recreational programing within the city of Alma since the mid-2000s. So, this will be a start to head back in that direction to try to add some adult and young people recreational programming. Be it leagues, some kind of adult art, but we do have other programs within the community that we hope to supplement,” Ripley said.
He said Alma’s funding has to be used by September of 2026 and the program is not guaranteed after that, but they look forward to offering it for as long as they can.
