REI is proud to introduce our 2019 Innovation Fellow!

Visit the Current Project Page to learn more.

Community and Resident Social Investment Strategies for Economic Development

Norman Christopher, Private Consultant

This project will build upon a previous MSU REI Student-Led, Faculty Guided project to explore viable social impact and social entrepreneurship strategies. A social impact investment "guidebook or toolkit" will be created for use by foundations and other grant making institutions, community residents, philanthropic donors, social NGOs, as well as local communities and neighborhoods as they seek to increase economic development activities and address specific social impact areas of concern.

REI is proud to announce the 2019 Co-Learning Plans!

Visit the Current Project Page to learn more about each project.

Energy Co-op Broadband Networks: Connecting Rural Americans to 21st Century Economic Opportunity

Mitchell Shapiro, Private Consultant

This project will help RECs, rural stakeholders, and policymakers evaluate options and develop strategies to expand rural broadband availability, adoption, usage, and benefits in ways that support strong and economically healthy rural communities.

Marrying Community Benefits and Development Practice

Sam Butler, Doing Development Differently in Detroit (D4)

This Co-Learning Plan will develop detailed recommendations for how to insert community benefit provisions into standard development processes including sample ordinance language.

City of Adrian Opportunity Zone Development

Mary ZumBrunnen & Chris Miller, City of Adrian

This plan focuses on developing best practices for a small Opportunity Zone within the city of Adrian, concentrating on fund development and attraction.

Translating Smart City Manager Knowledge

John Monberg, Ph.D., MSU Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures

This project will lead to the creation of a usable humanities framework for leaders grappling with the consequences of new Smart City initiatives by drawing upon sophisticated humanities perspectives for understanding issues of agency, representation, deliberation, and equity.

Integration of Online Market Place and Main Street in Michigan Communities: Driver Impacts and Policy Implications

Peilei Fan, Ph.D., MSU School of Planning, Design, & Construction

This proposal will examine how online marketplaces and Main Street can be synergized for Michigan communities.

Pathways for Lifecycle Building Practices: Material Reuse in Tiny Home Construction

Michael Moreno-Beals and Nathaniel Hooper, Private Consultants

This project will examine the feasibility of using Tiny Houses as a means to create affordable, sustainable, and energy efficient housing. The authors will develop a lifecycle plan of a Tiny House to examine the cost/benefit and environmental impact of using conventional methods compared to reused materials.

Apply for CEDAM's 2019 Pitch Competition Grants

Consumers Energy is sponsoring a pitch session at CEDAM's Small Town and Rural Development Conference to encourage communities to showcase innovative ideas for building a stronger sense of hometown unity. The top grant is $7,500 to be used toward the winning idea! Follow this link to learn more about this pitch competition and submit your entry. If you know of other community members who might be sitting on a great idea, feel free to share this opportunity with them.

Applications are due March 1.

Visit CEDAM's conference page to learn more and apply!