Appropriations Requests for : Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

1. Cosponsoring legislators:

No Cosponsors

Recipient Information

2. Intended legislatively directed spending item recipient:

Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

3. Physical address of legislatively directed spending item recipient and the intended location of the project or activity:

10925 Foreman Street, Lowell, Michigan 49331

4. The recipient's employer identification number:

823689165

Funding Details

5. Requested amount of the legislatively directed spending item:

$500,000.00

6. What is the purpose and how does the legislatively directed spending item provide a public benefit that is an appropriate use of taxpayer money?

This LDSI will fund the following experiences to provide for improved project and place-based educational experiences for teachers and students. Six regional Place-Based Educator Institutes - GLSI’s immersive, 3-5 day K-12 teacher professional development program that provides extensive training in interdisciplinary place-based teaching. Institutes bring together cohorts of 25-50 teachers from a Michigan region, along with 10-25 local community partner organizations and businesses. Teachers experience, first-hand, local businesses and community initiatives in action, and develop lesson plans and student projects for the coming school year that connect to the needs, issues, and opportunities of their community. The summer institute is a transformative approach to professional learning that empowers educators to build new connections between their teaching practice and local community, and to create locally relevant, authentic learning experiences and action projects for their students. Following the institute, each participating teacher works in-depth with GLSI coaches and project managers to guide their students in place-based learning and the implementation of their stewardship action project. - Six Student Showcases the community-based culminating event of GLSI Hubs’ school year-long work with partner schools, teachers, students, and community organizations/businesses. Each Showcase gathers hundreds of students from dozens of schools in the region to share the outcomes of their learning and the direct community impacts of their place-based stewardship education projects. These events bring together community/regional stakeholders, leaders, businesses, and organizations to learn about their own communities through the voices of students, creating a rich and authentic civic learning engagement across the community. Students present their work to audiences through walk-and-talk exhibits, formal conference-style presentations, and panel discussions. These activities will be held in partnership with school districts and community partners in the following communities - - Ypsilanti (managed through Eastern Michigan University) - Kent and Ottawa Counties (managed through Grand Valley State University) - Flint Community Schools (managed through GLSI staff) - Muskegon (managed through Muskegon Area ISD) - Alpena and Alcona Community Schools (managed through Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan) - Houghton (managed through Copper Country ISD)

7. Has the legislatively directed spending item previously received or been awarded any of the following types of funding in the past 5 years?

✓ Yes: Federal Funding

Amount received: $100,000.00

8. Estimated time frame for completion of the legislatively directed spending item project:

The estimated time frame for completion is by the end of fiscal year 2027

Additional Information For Nonprofit Corporations

9. Is the recipient a nonprofit corporation?

Yes

4. Officers and active members on the board of directors:

Caleb Carlton, President (non-voting) Ellen Brody, Chair
 Greg Smith, Vice Chair
 Brandon Schroeder, Secretary Erica Johnson, Treasurer Anna Balzer, At-Large Director 
Lloyd Wescoat, At-Large Director Clay Pelon, At-Large Director Julia Putnam, At-Large Director Stephanie Chang, At-Large Director Todd Ambs, At-Large Director

Certification By Sponsoring Legislator

• "I certify that my immediate family members, legislative staff members, and I have no direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the requested legislatively directed spending item."
• "I certify that the intended recipient of this legislatively directed spending item is not a for-profit entity."
• "I certify that the information in this form is true to the best of my knowledge."

Senator Jeff Irwin