ESCANABA, MI-- The Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission is offering competitive grants for communities to strengthen their sense of place.
CUPPAD regional planner Emilie Schada says a sense of place is anything that contributes to a good sensory experience in a gathering area, like a historic district, plaza, or farmers market. She says “placemaking” is touted as a good way to provide the framework for revitalization, and CUPPAD has $60,000 available through its Prosperous Places grant program.
Schada says the grants of up to $5,000 can be used in a variety of ways.
“We’re encouraging creativity,” she says. “It can be in the form of special events, it can create a new event, it can create public art, it can enhance streetscape elements—basically improvements to the public spaces that we share in a community.”
Grant applications are available to all CUPPAD members. The deadline to apply is May 1.
For more information go to www.cuppad.org or call 906-786-9234.
