Business and Development Financing and Incentives for the Lansing Region
Business incentives are available to new, expanding and relocating companies in a wide variety of categories. The LEAP team has a wealth of experience and knowledge of business benefits and savings at every level, and will connect you with the incentive programs that are right for you.
Most-Used Incentives
| Incentive | Level | Administrator | Description | Type | User | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Development Program | State | Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) | Performance-based cash grant and/or loan for competitive projects that create jobs and/or provide investment. Average grant award is approximately $5,000 per job created, depending on numerous factors. | Grant and/or Loan | Business | Industry Growth, Workforce Development |
| Community Revitalization Program | State | MEDC | Performance-based grant or loan gap financing for community revitalization projects that redevelop and revitalize brownfield / historic preservation sites located in traditional downtowns or high-impact corridors. | Grant and/or Loan | Developer | Place-based Development |
| Core Community Brownfield Tax Increment Financing (TIF)* | Local | Core Communities†| Reimbursement financing through incremental tax capture for a broader array of eligible improvements made by project developer, including site preparation, demolition, utilities and nearby public infrastructure, in addition to environmental remediation. | Reimbursement | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant | Regional | Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) | Property owners and developers can apply for EPA brownfield assessment grant dollars through the Lansing Regional Brownfields Coalition. Projects are reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis. The Project Intake Form can be found here. | Grant | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development, Workforce Development |
| Industrial Facilities Exemption (PA 198) | Local | Local Municipality | Local real and/or personal property tax abatement of approximately 50% for up to 12 years that encourages manufacturers and high-technology operations to build new plants, expand existing plants, renovate aging plants or add new machinery and equipment. | Tax Abatement | Business | Industry Growth |
| New Personal Property Exemption (PA 328) | Local | Core Communities | Up to 100% tax exemption on new personal property investment made by eligible businesses located within eligible distressed communities. Local unit of government and business negotiate length of abatement, subject to State Tax Commission approval. | Tax Abatement | Business | Industry Growth |
| Jobs Ready Michigan | State | MEDC | A flexible and responsive grant program to address specific talent recruitment and training needs for high-demand, high-wage or high-skill occupations. Average grant award is approximately $5,000 per job created, depending on numerous factors. | Grant | Business | Industry Growth, Workforce Development |
| Michigan New Jobs Training Program | State | Michigan Department of Treasury | Allocates state income tax dollars (up to 4.25% withholding) earned by net new employees at 175% or above of the minimum wage into a training fund (hosted by Lansing Community College) to be used for training as company sees fit for the new (and some existing) employees. | Programming | Business | Industry Growth, Workforce Development |
| Capital Area Michigan Works! (CAMW!) | Regional | CAMW! | Comprehensive assistance for recruitment, retention, and training through Talent Services (workforce needs assessment; talent recruitment plan; candidate review services; labor market information/analysis; network collaboration), and Training Support (educational institution partnerships for credentials, up to $5,000/ trainee; on-the-job training, up to 50% reimbursement). | Programming, Reimbursment | Business | Workforce Development |
| Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act (OPRA) (PA 146) | Local | Core Communities | A tax incentive that freezes local taxes and exempts all new real property improvements for up to 12 years to encourage the redevelopment of obsolete buildings in core communities. | Tax Abatement | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| Commercial Rehabilitation Act (PA 210) | Local | Local Municipality | A tax incentive that freezes local taxes and exempts new investment from local taxes for up to 10 years for commercial rehabilitation projects within an approved Commercial Rehabilitation District. | Tax Abatement | Business | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| Standard Brownfield Tax Increment Financing (TIF)* | Local | Local Municipality | Reimbursement financing through incremental tax capture for certain improvements completed by project developer, such as environmental assessment, cleanup and remediation. | Reimbursement | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing** | Regional | Lean & Green MI | Special financing program using a property assessment to function as a long term, low interest loan for eligible energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy investment. Viability and value will be site-dependent upon the current energy efficiency and the intended building upgrades and property improvements. | Loan | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| Community Block Development Grant | State | MEDC | HUD funding for a variety of economic and community development and housing projects in jurisdictions with populations less than 50,000. Projects must benefit persons of low-to-moderate income, prevent or eliminate blight, or meet an urgent need. | Grant and/or Loan | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development, Workforce Development |
| Michigan Department of Agriculture & Development (MDARD) | State | MDARD | MDARD offers support for food-system related investment projects through its Food and Agriculture Investment Fund and its Value Added & Regional Food Systems Grant program. | Grant | Business | Industry Growth, Workforce Development |
| Transportation Economic Development Fund | State | MDOT | MDOT offers its Transportation Economic Development Fund for immediate highway needs related to a variety of economic development issues. Funds are available to state, county and city road agencies. | Grant | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| Michigan Department of Envrionment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) | State | EGLE | EGLE offers numerous grants and loans to enhance environmental quality, such as the Brownfield Redevelopment Grant, Small Business Pollution Prevention Revolving Loan, and numerous Energy Sponsorships, Incentives, Grants and Loans. | Grant and/or Loan | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| Opportunity Zones | Special District | Contact LEAP for more information | The Lansing region consists of 11 opportunity zones, which provide tax incentives for long-term capital gain investments made into economically distressed communities. | Tax Incentive | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| New Market Tax Credit | Special District | Contact LEAP for more information | Tax incentive encouraging investment of private capital into low-income communities by permitting investors to receive a tax credit against their federal income tax in exchange for making equity investments in specialized financial intermediaries called Community Development Entities (CDEs). | Tax Incentive | Business, Developer | Industry Growth, Place-based Development |
| Port Lansing Next Michigan Development Corporation (NMDC) | Special District | Contact LEAP for more information | An interlocal agreement affording unique tax incentives and economic opportunities, such as Renaissance Zones, to businesses that use multi-modal transportation in supply or production chains. Port Lansing NMDC is based at Capital Region International Airport, which is home to the Port Lansing Global Logistics Center. | Tax Incentive | Business | Industry Growth |
| Lansing Regional SmartZone | Special District | Contact LEAP for more information | A cooperative effort between the MEDC, Lansing, East Lansing, Michigan State University and Ingham County to stimulate growth of technology-based business in the Lansing region. The SmartZone offers support services to empower entrepreneurs to build successful technology businesses. | Programming | Business | Industry Growth, Workforce Development |
| Going PRO Talent Fund | State | Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity (LEO), CAMW! | Competitive grant assisting employers with training and retaining current and newly hired employees. Eligible training includes customized classroom training (up to $1,500/participant), on-the-job training (up to $1,500/new employee), and apprenticeships (up to $3,000/apprentice). *Program is not guaranteed to be funded from year-to-year. | Grant | Business | Workforce Development |
†In June of 2000, the State of Michigan initiated an effort to spur private development in its urban communities and traditional centers of commerce. The incentives, unique to Core Communities, target critical needs of older communities through new housing development, redevelopment of obsolete facilities and development of contaminated properties.
Core Communities include the cities of:
- Lansing
- East Lansing
- St. Johns
- Mason
- Charlotte
*State brownfield financing is available
**Eaton and Ingham counties only