EAST LANSING, Mich. — Armed with a new $6 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Michigan State University’s Land Policy Institute will expand its role in helping shape Michigan’s future through the People and Land initiative.

People and Land is jointly administered by the institute and its primary partner, Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants. The funding is expected to help strengthen the Land Policy Institute and support research on everything from policies and strategies to protecting the Great Lakes to attracting young skilled workers to Michigan to strengthening its farms. In addition, the PAL initiative will continue to invest in collaborative regional and state efforts in strategic land use for economic development.

Soji Adelaja, institute director and John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in land policy at MSU, said the goal is to help Michigan position itself for prosperity. The initiative will focus on analysis of policies that result in attractive cities and neighborhoods, thriving agriculture, natural resources for recreation and job creation, inclusive and entrepreneurial culture, strong lifelong learning and knowledge-based technologies. These are important elements of the new economy.

“We are in an environment that is not going to change unless we start doing business differently. Plan A is not working,” Adelaja said. “This effort is about prosperity. It’s about how we partner to help Michigan through strategic and sustainable land policies.”

“The PAL initiative has proven to be the single most powerful force in pulling people together around land use issues,” said Bill Rustem, president of Public Sector Consultants. “This grant will allow us to step up the impact of the PAL network, from Lansing to Traverse City and Detroit to Escanaba, on Michigan’s future.”

The grant is the eighth – and largest – the institute has received from Kellogg, bringing total funding to $13.3 million. Also, LPI has received additional funding from other foundations, grants, MSU and other partners.

“This support from the Kellogg Foundation will not only help Michigan successfully compete in the global marketplace, it will help inform research that identifies the elements necessary for success in the new economy,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “The Land Policy Institute is rapidly becoming the national model of university engagement in land policy.”

LPI plans to work with faculty from MSU and partner institutions and to expand its capacity to help address pressing state policy issues through research, legislative briefs and testimony, partnerships with regional alliances and other activities. The institute will strengthen its program that trains local planning and zoning officials across Michigan to work together and focus on strategic growth and curtailing sprawl.

“Our ability to build a strong and sustainable land use network in Michigan requires the collaborative efforts of many stakeholders,” said Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The Kellogg Foundation has been a tremendous partner in our efforts to strengthen the leadership, health, economy and quality of life of Michigan communities.”

In addition, this grant will allow PAL to invest in regional entities that are doing path-breaking work and deepen the role of its strategic advisory group. Founded in 2006, LPI is dedicated to helping Michigan gain prominence in the new economy by helping people understand the critical role that the strategic use of land and other assets play in economic prosperity, environmental integrity and social equity – the three pillars of sustainability. For more, visit www.landpolicy.msu.edu.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 “to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." Foundation grants target the areas of health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the African countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. For more, visit www.wkkf.org.

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