Partnership Highlights for April 2026

Posted by Lake Superior Community Partnership on May 6, 2026

2025 Annual Report: A Year of Execution

Last month, the LSCP released our 2025 Annual Report, and the results reflect just how much our region accomplished together. 2025 was a year of turning strategy into real, measurable action — securing investments, launching new programs, earning recognition, and building the partnerships that make long-term progress possible.

A few highlights from the year:

– The LSCP helped secure a $3 million state investment in Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport.
– The Central U.P. Small Business Support Hub delivered more than $400,000 in direct grants to small businesses.
– The LSCP secured $536,500 from the Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant program to support a multi-community facade grant program for local developers and business owners.
– Housing Now, our regional housing initiative, was recognized by the Home Builders Association of Michigan as its inaugural Coalition of the Year.
– The LSCP convened more than 120 local leaders for the inaugural P3MQT Economic Exchange.
– The LSCP successfully renewed its Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) status — we remain the only AEDO in the U.P. and one of fewer than 100 in the country.

 

Advocacy: Making Sure the U.P. Is in the Room

A lot of our advocacy work happens behind the scenes, but the results show up in our communities. Here’s a look at some of the issues we’ve been actively tracking and pushing forward.

The State Budget

With the Michigan legislature back in full swing, budget season is well underway. The Governor proposed the FY2027 Executive Budget in February, and both the House and Senate have now passed their own versions. While the two chambers are billions of dollars apart, all three proposals will go to a Conference Committee to be reconciled into a final budget — with a statutory deadline of June 30. We’re watching for a vote sometime in May or June.

Key areas we’re tracking:

– Healthcare programs, particularly how reductions in federal Medicaid funding will be managed at the state level
– Economic development programs, including workforce, community development, and housing funding at LEO, MEDC, and MSHDA
– Education funding for K-12 and higher education, with particular attention to Northern Michigan University

Community Redevelopment Tax Credit

A promising new economic development tool was recently introduced in the legislature: the Community Redevelopment Tax Credit (CRTC). This legislation would support the redevelopment of vacant and blighted buildings across Michigan, helping communities attract people and jobs while improving quality of life for existing residents. A key feature is that it requires active collaboration between communities and development partners — community buy-in is built into the process.

The CRTC would provide $200 million in annual tax credits, with per-project caps and increased credits for historic rehabilitations and rural and low- to moderate-income projects. At least 20% of credits each year would be directed to small and rural communities. The LSCP has been part of the coalition working to develop and introduce these bills, and there is momentum to pass them before the summer legislative break.

Energy and Rural Priorities in Lansing

The Marquette County Ambassadors — a privately funded group of community leaders who meet monthly and represent our region in statewide conversations — recently completed a trip to Lansing with more than 20 meetings across legislators, state department leaders, and key partners. These visits consistently produce real results, including past wins like funding for the veterans’ home and rural carve-outs in critical programs.

Key issues the Ambassadors advocated for on this trip:

– **Energy generation**: HB 4007 and HB 4283, which address significant energy concerns in the U.P., passed the House with strong bipartisan support but remain stalled in the Senate.
– **Rural healthcare**: including the distribution of the Rural Healthcare Transition Fund and the ripple effects of Medicaid changes on our local healthcare system.
– **Housing**: ensuring that state programs are designed in ways that actually work for rural regions like ours.
– **Rural economic development programming** to complement local efforts.

The group also raised issues around mental health services, NMU’s community college functions (currently excluded from state community college funding), transportation, and insurance.

Connecting with Senator Slotkin

A delegation of Marquette County community leaders recently met with U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin to discuss the challenges and opportunities we’re facing on the ground — from healthcare and housing to air service and energy. The visit yielded valuable new connections with key policy staff who will be engaging further on housing issues.

 

Housing: From Conversation to Solutions

We recently completed the inaugural Central U.P. Housing Solutions Summit, bringing together more than 100 people committed to addressing the region’s housing shortage. The event was focused on real-world solutions — ways to increase housing starts and rehabilitations, diversify our housing supply, and unlock our community’s full potential.

The demand was so strong that registration had to be closed due to space constraints. A full recap will be available at housingnow906.org.

Housing isn’t just about the people already here — it’s also about attracting the workers our businesses need to meet growing demand and moderating price growth that is pushing current residents further out in search of affordable options. There’s no silver bullet: we need policy reform, capital access, new construction methods, a larger skilled trades workforce, and more.

Housing Now also recently hosted an online session on what it actually takes to build affordable housing, featuring real-world examples from Marquette County and northern Michigan. Two affordable housing developers walked through the realities of the process — helping our community better understand how to make it easier to build affordable units here at home.

 

Childcare Is Economic Development

Last spring, the LSCP stepped up to serve as the lead organization for the Regional Child Care Coalition (RCCC), alongside co-lead 4C of the U.P. (Great Start to Quality), as the initiative restarted following a funding lapse.

Why does an economic development organization work on childcare? Because childcare availability is fundamentally a workforce issue. It keeps workforce participation high, stabilizes working families, and reduces workplace absences. A 2022 local study found that Marquette County alone was short thousands of childcare slots to meet full demand. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation report documented the statewide impact of the childcare shortage at more than $2.8 billion in lost productivity and tax revenue. When care is more expensive than a paycheck — or simply isn’t available — businesses lose workers and workers lose opportunities.

The LSCP recently brought the coalition together for its first in-person meeting of the year. The coalition includes parents, businesses, providers, workforce professionals, economic development organizations, planners, and local governments, and is executing a regional strategy funded by a $150,000 grant from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC). That strategy includes:

– Connecting with families to understand their needs
– Expanding the pool of available substitutes for existing childcare providers
– Supporting new childcare facilities
– Enhancing wages and credentials for early childhood professionals
– Communicating the value of early childhood careers
– Breaking down regulatory barriers to childcare opportunities

If you’re a parent, HR professional, business owner, or childcare provider interested in getting involved, we’d love to hear from you. Meetings are held bimonthly, typically virtually, with committee work happening in between.

 

CEO Transition

This month marks a significant milestone for the LSCP: Natalie officially becomes CEO.

After weeks of knowledge transfer and context-sharing, the organization is in excellent hands. Natalie has shown a sharp ability to identify important context, see opportunities for improvement, and act thoughtfully — exactly what the LSCP needs as it moves into its next chapter.

Our outgoing CEO will remain available through June 5 to support the transition, with potential involvement on a few specific projects thereafter. To celebrate the change in leadership, everyone is welcome to join us for the official passing of the torch on May 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. The event is free — RSVPs are appreciated so we can plan accordingly.

 

Partnership Highlights is our bi-weekly update for community leaders, local government partners, and key stakeholders, with highlights shared monthly on the LSCP blog to keep the broader community informed on the work shaping prosperous communities across Marquette County.