The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is using $1.9 million in Recreation Passport grants to fund 15 local public recreation projects. The projects involve the development and renovation of facilities, playgrounds, trails, pavilions, and boating areas.
A Recreation Passport is a $14 annual pass available in order to access recreation areas, parks, historic sites, and trails across the state. According to the DNR, 10% of Recreation Passport proceeds help fund park maintenance and community grants.
Clay Summers is the Grants Management Section Manager for the DNR. He said that the Recreation Passport program, which began in 2010, helps drive local economies.
“People look to live in places where they have recreational opportunities, and these funds help support that,” he said. Summers added that Michiganders value having strong recreational amenities.
He said the grant program’s investment in public parks and lands creates places where people want to live, work, and play.
“We feel very strongly about it, and we believe in these grant funds doing good things across the state.”
This year, there were 57 applications for the grants. Summers said the DNR goes through a careful selection process each year in order to score and rank which projects would be the best fit for funding.
“It is obviously a competitive grant program,” he said. “We always have more applications than we have funding available.”
Summers said there’s a funding cap of $2 million each year.
Some of the recommended projects include a senior citizen park renovation in Clinton County, Charlton Park boating area improvements in Barry County, and a sensory playground in Wexford County.
Summers added that the grant program does not go toward state parks.
“The program that we’re talking about today is all for local units of government for development of public recreation facilities,” he said. Additionally, it requires applicants to be able to match 25% of what it costs to fund the project.
Applications for the grant program will open in early 2026 and will end April 1.
