Cool Cities Grants & Planning Programs

Michigan is becoming known as the home of "Cool Cities"!  We launched the 2004 Cool City Pilot Program in April 2004 to support downtown neighborhood revitalization efforts.  We learned that the Cool Cities Neighborhood award designation is immensely important to grant recipients.  It has increased community pride, led to greater optimism for the future, energized local stakeholders, and has been a catalyst for local investment. 

Building on the success of the 2004 pilot, we expanded the program to include the Michigan Main Street, Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns, and Blueprints for Michigan's Neighborhoods.  These three programs, along with the catalyst grant program, Neighborhoods in Progress are under the umbrella of Cool Cities and are the Cool Cities Grants & Planning Programs.

2003-2006 Cool Cities Grants & Planning Programs Award Designees at a Glance