IN THE MONEY

Over $100 million has been earmarked for Michigan nonpro ts. Here's how to get in on the next round.

GARRETT’S SPACE

$4 million to spur plan to create campus for young adults facing mental health issues. PAGE 9

BY` SHERRI WELCH

In the year since earmarks made a comeback, Michigan nonprofits have commanded well over $100 million for projects and programs in communities around the state.

at number, culled from $24 billion in federal earmarks by the Council of Michigan Foundations, does not include the funding hospitals, health systems and universities have attracted or the hundreds of millions more appropriated to support public projects in the state.

Well-known nonpro ts in the state like the Motown Museum and Michigan State University attracted millions of dollars in congressionally designated funds in the scal 2023 federal omnibus bill passed in late December, but so, too, did small nonprofits like Garrett’s Space, an $800,000 nonpro t, with $4 million to create its rst home and Sanctum House, a small nonpro t in Royal Oak which secured $1.4 million to acquire a new site to serve women survivors of human tra cking.

e return of congressional designated funding represents an opportunity for nonpro ts, regardless of size, leaders in Michigan’s nonpro t sector said — as long as they set themselves up for contention.

Getting an earmark

Nonpro ts that want to qualify for congressional designated funding will face a complicated process. Here's a guide for making it happen:

` Build relationships with elected o cials: Talk to your representatives. Invite Michigan’s two Senators and congressional leaders in your district to attend a board meeting or event or tour a facility to learn more about the organization, its work and the project looking for funding.

` Understand the application process: The Senate and House have di erent timelines, even among some of the elected o cials, so nonpro ts need to make sure they know the speci cs for legislators they are approaching.

` Show your value: To qualify for an earmark, nonpro ts need to ll out an application and submit at least two letters of community support for a project to demonstrate need.

` Engage outside voices: Use this as an opportunity to speak to the needs of new constituents, especially Black, Indigenous and People of Color, who are often underrepresented.

` Make recommendations: Keep tabs on other projects and groups that would be a good t for an earmark. Teaming up can make the process easier.