Municipal Finance System Reform

About this grant

The Michigan Municipal League Foundation’s mission is to help create and maintain vibrant communities in Michigan by funding placemaking projects and educating community leaders and advocates. An important component of vibrant communities is an adequate government financing system that provides enough revenue for a city to provide governmental services. Currently, Michigan does not have a funding system that meets this goal. When a city cannot sustain a reasonable level of services, the quality of life decreases dramatically for all of its citizens, resulting in increased blight, increased crime, and lower quality infrastructure. This grant will help support the development of an educational campaign to help residents and business leaders in Michigan understand how local governments are funded and ways to improve municipal finance systems.