COG / TC Chamber Announce Grant Award to the Village of Empire

The Northwest Michigan Council of Governments and the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce awarded the Village of Empire a $20,000 Community Growth Grant on Tuesday, August 24 to the Empire Village Council. The grant was awarded to the village for the purpose of implementing Wi-Fi throughout the community. 

 

“The Village is very excited with the Community Growth Grants award as the Wi-Fi project will help to lay the foundation for the future of Empire’s economic success,” said Susan Carpenter, president of the Village of Empire. 

 

There are six other Community Growth Grant awards throughout the six-county region of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Wexford Counties. These grants were made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which awarded a one-year, $200,000 grant to the Council of Governments, in partnership with the Chamber’s Traverse Bay Economic Development Corporation. 

 

“This partnership between the Council of Governments and Traverse City Chamber of Commerce allows our two organizations to work more closely together with communities wishing to implement the goals of the Grand Vision’s Growth and Investment Group,” said Matt McCauley, Director of Regional Planning and Community Development for the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. The Community Growth Grants Program works to move the region’s Grand Vision into action by providing direct financial support and/or technical assistance to communities. 

 

The Village of Empire’s award is for implementation of an action-oriented project that will encourage future investments in one the region’s potential growth centers identified in the Grand Vision.  The project will also enhance the community’s sense of place and build the foundation for a stronger regional economy. 

 

Tino Breithaupt, the Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Economic Development, stated “This grant from the Kellogg Foundation allows the COG and Chamber to work more closely with local unit of government leaders to carry out our respective organization goals of building communities in the region.”

 

A total of 24 applications were received from 31 communities, requesting nearly $450,000 in funding. The Community Growth Grants Program is designed to award at least one community development project in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Wexford Counties.