Northville and Novi community groups can apply for grants of up to $1,500, while eligible downtown projects can receive up to $5,000 through a program relaunching after a two-year break.

The Michigan Municipal League Foundation reopened its Bridge Builders Microgrants program in September, offering one-time funding for resident-led projects that bring neighbors together. The application window opened Sept. 9, and submissions are due Oct. 30.

Both Northville and Novi are MML member communities. Eligibility differs by grant tier: community groups can apply for Community Microgrants, while municipal governments, local small businesses, downtown development authorities and neighborhood or commercial improvement districts can apply for Main Street Microgrants. Past Bridge Builders funding recipients are ineligible.

Two grant tiers

The program offers two categories. Community Microgrants, formerly called Neighborhood Microgrants, provide up to $1,500 for efforts that launch new ideas or grow existing ones connecting residents. Main Street Microgrants go up to $5,000 and target programming that pairs small businesses, artists and local government to generate economic activity along commercial corridors.

Past projects have included murals, community food gardens, night markets, concerts, cultural art shows and neighborhood lot makeovers, according to Oakland County Times. The foundation reports more than 50 previous recipients in 37 communities, according to its Sept. 17 release.

Who's behind it

The Ann Arbor-based MML Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Michigan Municipal League, is partnering this cycle with the DTE Foundation and, for the first time, the Lapeer County Community Foundation.

"We hope these microgrants will offer encouragement and support for projects that make people feel part of and proud of their community," Helen D. Johnson, MML Foundation president, said in a Sept. 17 press release.

How to apply

Applications and details on past projects are available on the foundation's website. Grantees will be notified in December. Funded projects may begin in January 2027 and must wrap up by Sept. 30, 2027.