A package of bills (SB 566 – 568, 644) outlines the project eligibility requirements for the program.  The new program defines an eligible investment as any demolition, construction, alteration, rehabilitation, or improvement of buildings, site improvements, and the addition of machinery, equipment, or fixtures to the approved project, as well as architectural, engineering, surveying and similar professional fees.  The definition for an eligible property as defined by the CR includes polluted property, a historic resource, blighted property, functionally obsolete, and any parcel adjacent to these property types.

These programs, as well as the Michigan Business Development Program, will share a pool of appropriated funds from the state budget.  The pool amount budgeted for the current fiscal year is $100 million.  At least $20 million must be used for the CR program.  Awards of CR funds will likely either be made in the form of grants, soft loans or “other financial assistance”.  Grants are capped at $1M per project and loans/ other at $10M.

The bills passed the Senate in September and were recently voted out of the House Commerce Committee with amendments, the most controversial of which prohibits functionally obsolete property from receive more than 25% of the total cost of the eligible investment on a single project, and limits the total investment in any one project to $3 million.  While better than a previous amendment that would have prohibited functionally obsolete property entirely, this amendment is still cause for concern because it will potentially limit the ability to support projects for obsolete and blighted projects which will create big investments and jobs in our communities (see here).

The bills are expected to be voted on in the full House within the next few weeks, after which the amended bills will be sent back to the Senate.

• Please note there is a deadline to register for any of the 10 CCDI trainings. Deadlines are listed in training descriptions.

Nonprofit Advocacy Day
Date: November 3, 2011
Time: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Cost: $25 CEDAM members, $125 non-members (includes breakfast)
Location: Capitol Building, Lansing
Registration deadline is October 14, 2011.

Join CEDAM members and other nonprofits from around the state at the Capitol for a lobbying and networking morning. You will attend an issue briefing on a topic of your choice, learn the latest details on bills that affect your work and meet with your state representative and senator to advocate for your interests. In addition to advancing your cause and gaining hands-on lobbying experience, you’ll have the opportunity to network with others who share your concerns. Lunch on your own in Lansing (list of great places to eat coming soon). Register for this session.

Real Estate Development + Commercial Real Estate Development
Date: May 8 – 11, 2012 (four days)
Cost: $550 CEDAM members, $1,250 non-members
Location: Faholo Conference Center, Grass Lake
Registration deadline is April 20, 2012.

The two comprehensive real estate development trainings will share the same new date, May 8 – 11, 2012. Participants will be able to choose to take either the real estate development track or the commercial real estate development track. Registration cost covers meals, lodging and activities for the four day retreat. Register for this session.

Using the CEDAM Media List

Download the media list:
The new CEDAM media list is available for CEDAM members to download at members.cedam.info: Get Media List and Media Tools. For help logging in, please click here. The media list is an Excel spreadsheet. If you do not have Excel, download Excel Viewer for free to view the media list.

About the media list:
In addition to general contact information such as email, phone and mail addresses, the CEDAM media list also notes the coverage areas for each media outlet as well as website, Facebook and Twitter information. Note that both news tips and press releases can be submitted to any contact with “news tips” in the job title.

At the bottom of the Excel sheet there are two tabs. One tab is for “general” news about anything. The other tab is for policy and government news. If you are sending news related to policy or government, contact the people from the Policy-Govt tab in addition to those in the General tab.

Submit statewide or national news:
If your news is either relevant to Michigan as a whole or is national news, email/contact everyone on the general media list. If your Michigan or national topic is also related to policy or government, add the contacts from the Policy-Govt tab.

Submit local news:
You can find what media covers your community by pressing CTRL+F (command+F on MAC) and searching for the name of your county, the name of your city or “Michigan” (to find places with Michigan, Northern Michigan or Mid-Michigan listed in their coverage area).

Submit policy or government related news:
Contact everyone in the General tab and everyone in the Policy-Govt tab.

Why is : ) next to a company name?
This means we know the contact or have worked with them recently.

FAQ

What is a media list?
A media list is a database of media contacts. Media lists are an excellent way to send news, press releases, event information, job postings and volunteer opportunities to news and media outlets. One of the benefits of CEDAM membership is access to the CEDAM statewide media list, which will give you contact information and email addresses for state and local media.

To whom do I send my news?
Generally, you send news to an editor or producer. If you know which reporter covers the topic you are promoting, you may also send news to them. Finally, most media outlets have a general email for news tips and press releases. Send your news to all of the above if possible, because you never know who will pick up your story!

How do I write a press/news release?
The following is a quick list of items every press release should have. For a detailed walkthrough, please see this post.

• Your organization’s logo or name
• Contact information and cell phone number for the person the media should go to for more information
• A headline/hook
• The date and usually the originating city of the press release
• Main text, with most important information first
• A quote from the lead individual or expert in the story
• ### or -30- at the end of the release
• A short statement about your organization and what it does
• Proofreading by someone else

Here is an example of a CEDAM press release (PDF).
Here is an example of a Center for Community Progress press release (PDF).

What is a media advisory?
A media advisory is an invitation to the media to a press conference or event you are hosting that you want them to attend and cover. A media advisory is not the same as a press release. A press release provides all the information the media needs to write a complete article. A media advisory, on the other hand, only gives a “teaser” of what will be at the press conference: enough to get the media interested, but not enough to write a full story without attending.

What is a news tip?
If you do not have time to create a formal press release, you can still send your story to the media via a news tip. A news tip is a quick summary or “news pitch” the media can follow up on if they are interested. Remember to include your contact information.

Can I use social media to send news to the media?
Yes! You can post news directly on the media outlet’s Facebook page, tag the media in a Facebook post or tweet news to them on Twitter. Of course, it is a very good idea to follow up your social media messaging with an actual email, phone call or fax to that media outlet.

What are some other ways to publicize my organization’s news?

• Consider writing an Op-Ed. Click here for a great post on how to do that as a nonprofit.
• Ask an individual or organization that has a blog if you can write a guest post about your news, event, story or experience.
• Post your news on social media.
• Keep a collection of your news and press releases somewhere on your website.