7/25/2024

The City of Onaway has been awarded $749,100 in state grant funding to support the development of new outdoor recreation facilities and trail networks. This funding comes from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Spark Grant Program, which aims to boost public health, introduce new experiences, build on existing infrastructure, and improve access to recreation. The grant is part of a total of $25 million available in this round of funding.

The awarded project will facilitate the creation of a pavilion providing shelter for trail users, family restrooms with universal access design, picnic tables, bike loops, and trash receptacles. During the summer months, the pavilion will host the Onaway Farmers Market. The project also includes an expanded parking area to accommodate vehicles with trailers hauling snowmobiles, benefiting both residents and visitors year-round.

Community foundations were a catalytic component of this program, working alongside local leaders to develop and execute strategies that advance equitable outcomes by way of elevating community voices, providing or connecting opportunity communities with technical assistance opportunities, making considerations of local capacities, and providing a statewide network of partners to problem-solve collectively.

Read about the DNR Spark Grant for Grayling

The Michigan Spark Grant Program, a collaborative initiative between the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), aims to expand access to recreation spaces and programs for historically underrepresented and under-resourced communities.

Patrick Heraghty, Executive Director of CFNEM, expressed his enthusiasm for the project.

 “As the Regional Collaborative Lead in Northeast Michigan for the DNR Spark Grant Program, we were able to build relationships with Onaway City leaders and residents, provide important support for community input, and ensure that Spark Grant Staff heard the needs and challenges of Onaway,” Heraghty said. “We are so excited that the City of Onaway received full funding for their fantastic project.”

Kelli Stockwell, City Manager for the City of Onaway, said the trailhead will provide a resting spot for trail users year-round, including a pavilion, restrooms, picnic tables, a self-help bike repair station, a drinking fountain and more.

"We are excited to receive this funding and use it to realize our community's vision to enhance our recreational experience. I am grateful for everyone's ideas, input, and effort that got us to this point, and I am confident that these developments will pay huge dividends for our community for generations to come.”

The CMF/DNR Spark Grant program was established to equitably guide resources to communities and expand access to healthy indoor and outdoor recreation projects for many of Michigan’s historically under-resourced and underrepresented communities. Ensuring that community voice was a key element of the program.

“We are grateful for the efforts of the City of Onaway and the leadership of CFNEM in centering resident voices in this project that will create healthy recreational opportunities for all to enjoy for years to come,” said Kyle Caldwell, CMF President and CEO.

“It’s an honor for the DNR to help dozens of Michigan communities achieve their vision of healthier, more active lifestyles for residents and visitors, especially through a new grantmaking model that ensures a more direct pathway to places where critical dollars are most needed,” said DNR Director Scott Bowen.

CFNEM is proud to have supported the City of Onaway in this transformative project, which is set to enhance the quality of life for residents and attract more visitors to the area. Construction activity is expected to begin in the spring of 2025.

The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all residents in its service area by building permanent endowment funds, making effective grants, and providing leadership to address community needs.

The Council of Michigan Foundations leads, strengthens and supports Michigan’s community of philanthropy by emboldening and equipping Michigan philanthropy in the relentless pursuit of equitable systems and inclusive diversity, fortifying the field through public policy action, fostering the growth of current and future philanthropy leaders and advancing exemplary philanthropic practices and field expertise.

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