Millions of dollars in grants are available to municipalities each year. Getting that money requires a special set of skills, said Linda Davis Kirksey. She has been writing grant applications professionally since founding Davis Kirksey Associates, Inc. in Rochester Hills in 1999.
Grants are made by federal, state and county agencies; nonprofit foundations; financial institutions and corporations. Davis Kirksey works with 10 municipal clients and five non-profits. Some municipalities hire her for one-time projects.
“It’s a busy time for grant writers,” said Davis Kirksey, who teaches grant application classes to public safety officials at Eastern Michigan University.
She’s helped municipalities get grants for accessible parks, recreation and mental health initiatives; improvements to sewer and water systems, transportation or other municipal infrastructure work.
In Rochester, Davis Kirksey helped secure a $797,000 grant for the barrier-free park downtown. The largest grant she ever secured, $4.5 million, paid to complete Rochester Hills’ portion of the Clinton River Trail. She also worked on one of the grants for Commerce Township’s inclusive playground, Scarlett’s Smile.
A good grant writer knows how to match the needs of a community to the available grants – and how to navigate the complicated and competitive application system, she said.
Grant opportunities grew significantly with ARPA and the federal infrastructure bill, she said. Finding the right opportunities requires collecting a wide array of detailed information, often with a short application deadline. Federal grant money goes back to federal coffers if no one applies for the opportunity, she said.
Michigan offers grants for everything from forestry and wildlife cultivation to local police, fire and marine patrol initiatives. The state’s treasury department has municipal grants for buying fire equipment and protecting retirement systems. Last week, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority announced it would award $15 million in grants this year for single-family home repair and new construction.
Finding “I love what I do. I get to help communities make dreams come true and improve the quality of life for residents.”
More municipalities are looking for people with such technical skills, she said.
Just last month Independence Township posted an ad for a contract grant writer, who would earn $50,000 to $60,000 a year.
Waterford Township Trustee Anthony Bartolotta believes revenue from recreational marijuana could fund a full-time grant writer for the township who can help bolster funding for parks and other community resources, he said.
Nik Banda, Rochester’s city manager and development director, said his city pursues grants “pretty much by committee,” and works with Davis Kirksey for park grants.
Pontiac, perhaps more than most cities, is pursuing grants with a team. The city lost millions in assets during state-imposed emergency management between 2009 and 2013 and two consecutive terms of office for a mayor who allegedly misused more than $1.6 million in city funds. Since 2022, a new administration and council have been trying to stabilize and revive parks, streets, sidewalks and other assets that endured years of neglect.
Grants are stretching the city’s one-time $37.7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Alexandra Borngesser started working for Pontiac as a grant writer just over two years ago.. Today, she is the city’s director of grants and philanthropy, managing a grant writer; compliance analyst; accountant; and an ARPA-funded home-repair specialist. In addition to finding and pursuing the right grant opportunities, her team develops and maintains relationships with donors and potential donors. Other work ensures grant spending follows strict rules, including federal accountability standards.
Borngesser is cautious about discussing grant totals; she said they don’t paint a full picture of Pontiac’s financial challenges.
In May, she told city council Pontiac received $13,637,857 in grants last year – the second largest source of income in the city after income taxes.
Some of last year’s grants: $80,000 from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to upgrade the city’s workspace technology and $70,000 to support rebuilding the city’s code enforcement department. Pontiac also received a $392,500 grant from the county’s Out of School Time program, which is administered by United Way of Southeast Michigan. The money will be used this year and in 2024 for youth recreation programming and staff time. In February, the city council agreed to use $135,000 for salaries and wages; $18,500 for recreation supplies, $108,500 for programming, $65,000 for temporary or part-time workers; $5,500 for training and $25,000 for special equipment.
Borngesser is leading Pontiac’s transition to return to managing community development block grant money – which comes from the federal government and has been managed for the county for years. The city paid more than $150,000 to the county for managing more than $800,000 the city received for CDBG in 2021.
“We have, and will continue to build power for Pontiac by leveraging public and private resources to improve the quality of life for Pontiac residents,” she said.
Oakland County applies for grants and offers competitive grants said Bill Mullen, county spokesman,
There’s currently no dedicated grant writer among the county’s 5,300 employees. Instead, several jobs include grant writing duties, Mullan said.
Borngesser sets Pontiac’s grant goals each calendar year. This year’s goal was to apply for $100 million in grants and receive at or above 25% of that by Dec. 31.
“We met our goal on July 1,” she said.
Among the city’s grants this year is $16 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete the Pike Street Clinton River Trail Connector Project. Recent awards include a $7,500,000 Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant to complete the Meadow Street Extension and Clinton River Trail expansion project.
