Download Second Annual Prosperous Place Grant Guidelines

CUPPAD’s Second Annual “Prosperous Places” Grant Program
What is Place Making? Place Making is a community-based approach to the planning, design and
management of spaces that have local and regional importance. It involves the discovery and
implementation of practices that make our communities distinctive, economically viable, accessible, and
visually pleasing. Place making capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration and potential,
creating good public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and economic well-being.
Rationale: The Prosperous Grant Program of CUPPAD’s Regional Prosperity Collaborative aims to
build a thriving future for Central Upper Peninsula communities through a competitive grant program to
create places where people want to live, work, and play. Supporting small scale but highly impactful
initiatives on behalf of municipalities, DDAs, or other eligible nonprofit groups to create vibrant public
places will assist downtowns, parks, neighborhoods, plazas, or any other public gathering space enhance
its sense of place which in turn increases the community’s competitive advantage.
Eligible Applicants: Any city, village, township, or county government within Alger, Delta, Dickinson,
Marquette, Menominee, or Schoolcraft Counties. Additionally, Main Street Programs, Tourism Bureaus,
Parks and Recreation Boards, Nonprofit Community Based Development Organizations such as
Chambers of Commerce within the regional boundary of the Central Upper Peninsula. Current CUPPAD
Members are given priority.
Eligible Activities: Incorporating the “Power of Ten”: a great place itself needs to offer at least 10 things
to do or 10 reasons to be there (place to sit, art to touch, music to hear, food to eat, history to experience,
people to meet, place to read, areas to play, people to watch, place to shop, things to learn, paths to walk).
Applicants should consider this grant as an opportunity to assist in achieving The Power of Ten. Projects
should be about creating high quality places that promote sustainable, resilient, human-scale, pedestrianoriented, bicycle-friendly transportation options, mixed-use, green and public spaces, recreation, arts and
culture, historic preservation, and broad civic engagement. Preference given to strategic investment in a
Place Making Strategy previously prioritized and/or identified in a plan document such as a Master,
Recreation, Capital, or DDA Plan. Examples may include:
Community Gardens
Community gardens have the potential to
beautify vacant lots, augment local food
supplies and enhance the urban environment
in a variety of ways.
Parklets
Parklets are mini-parks created by extending
an existing sidewalk into a parking spot(s) to
create a space for outdoor seating and more.
Farmer Markets
From small neighborhood spots to urban
market districts, farmers markets are great
community gathering places; are
economically sustainable; and have a broad
impact on their community’s development.
Pocket Parks & Mini-Parks.
Small parks usually created on a single vacant
building lot or on small, irregular pieces of
land.
Pedestrian Plazas/Walkways
Plazas create a great place for residents to
gather, sit and relax and could help to
revitalize downtown areas. .
Trails & Paths
In addition to creating a place to gather, trails
help to preserve and restore open spaces and
provide opportunities for physical activity to
improve fitness and mental health.
Playgrounds
Playgrounds can range from traditional, many
of which are need of revitalization, to creation
of new ones in vacant lots..
Dog Parks
Dog parks, where not only dogs gather and
play, but so too do their owners and
residents. Another way to convert vacant
space to community places.
Alley Activations
Activating alleys to include seating, murals,
art, lighting, landscaping, markets, events and
much more provides a great place for the
community to gather and to draw people to
local businesses.
Murals and Public Art
Animates public and private spaces,
rejuvenates structures and streetscapes,
improves local business viability and public
safety, and brings diverse people together to
celebrate, inspire, and be inspired.
Seating
Seating helps to insure that people relax,
linger and stay in a place.
Wayfinding Signage
Kiosks and signage at trailheads, paths and
downtowns can help people know where they
are, and how to find community facilities,
tourism, cultural and recreational areas.
Little Free Libraries
Residents can build one or more across their
community.
And More.
There are a variety of other amenities to add
to enhance a place and make it a destination
including flowers and trees, tables, street
furniture, bike racks, game boards, pergolas,
grills, fire pits, fountains, interactive
instruments/toys, and lighting.
Examples of Ineligible Activities: Projects that generally don’t impact the public sphere, or fulfill the
“Rule of Ten” will not be eligible examples including:
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Infrastructure or public works project, street repair, lighting, sidewalks, parking lots, bus stop, etc.
Indoor facilities such as YMCAs, libraries, community centers, etc.
Recreational Areas without multi-functions such as baseball & soccer fields, tennis courts
Marketing Activities
Media or PR Campaigns
Places with limited access (i.e., Monday – Friday; 9 am to 5 pm).
Temporary or seasonal projects (space should be available year round)
Places for a select group of users (i.e. students, athletes, elderly).
Grant Amounts: $500 to $5,000 with a 1:1 match requirement (cash or in-kind).
Careful consideration will be given to:
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Project is part of a community place making or revitalization project and addresses a community
challenge.
Space/site enables documentation of both a before and after photo.
Project is accessible to the whole community and all residents.
Project has other community partners and funding.
Includes a budget and plans for gap funding.
Includes a design concept/plan, if applicable.
The potential impact of the request and the number of people who will benefit.
An imaginative and experimental approach.
The extent of local volunteer involvement and support for the project.
The fulfillment of widely perceived community needs.
Demonstrated need for financial support.
Documentation of how project will meet local, state, and federal laws, if applicable, including
local Zoning, Site Plan Review, Department of Health, Building Rehabilitation Code, etc.
For more information, contact Emilie Schada at the Central Upper Peninsula Regional Planning
Commission (CUPPAD) at [email protected] or (906) 786-9234 ext. 1380.