Masco Supports Michigan Water Infrastructure
Last month, Masco was proud to make a $50,000 grant to MI Water Navigator, a newly-launched program of the Michigan Municipal League Foundation that fills critical gaps in capacity and accessibility for communities navigating Michigan drinking water infrastructure funding opportunities.
The safety of Michigan communities depends on robust investment in water infrastructure, particularly around identifying and replacing lead service lines. While state and federal funding is available, many communities struggle with finding the right funding for a specific infrastructure problem and do not have a subject matter expert on their municipal staff who can navigate and complete the complicated application process. To support this process and ensure distribution of available funds, MI Water Navigator’s technical assistance team provides free individual advising across a range of funding applications to inquiring communities. In addition, those which meet the criteria for “disadvantaged community” have an option to request technical assistance for navigating and submitting certain grant applications from start to finish.
Over half of inquiries to MI Water Navigator have also expressed needs related to stormwater and wastewater systems. In response, the program hopes to use the Masco funding to expand its technical assistance and resources to include stormwater and wastewater funding applications next year.