Michigan Gives $7.5m to Ford for Corktown Innovation District

The goblins of the past are becoming a celebration of the future…

The Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) today approved $7.5 million in funding to Ford Motor Co. for new programs that “accelerate economic development, new technology activation, workforce training, and community engagement in the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.”

The grant has a three-year term with the ability to allocate additional funds in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 – if agreed-upon grant milestones are met, including a requirement that it create at least 2,500 non-Ford jobs within the district. (AutoInformed on: Ford Testing Autonomous Delivery of Food in Detroit; Ford Opens Corktown Station to Community as Mustang puts Camaro and GM on Trailer During Woodward Dream Cruise; Ford Motor in Corktown and Newlab Working on – What Else – Vehicle Connectivity, Autonomy and Electrification)

Anchored at the Michigan Central Train Station, which Ford originally announced support for in 2018, the district will be a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a “globally-recognized hub for talent, mobility innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, affordable housing, small business opportunities and community engagement.” Since 2018, Ford has been in the process of investing $740 million in the 1.2-million-square-foot campus, which is expected to hold 5,000 Ford and non-Ford workers.

Earlier this month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Google Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to announce a new partnership to activate the Michigan Central Innovation District in an attempt to attract and retain skilled people and high-growth companies while supporting the development of bordering neighborhoods.

Today’s MSF grant will support initiatives that help to create conditions for high-skill, high-wage job creation, workforce development, startup growth, and next-generation mobility and electrification leadership.

With today’s MSF grant, the district will be bolstered by a cross-departmental collaboration that includes aligning more than $126 million in state resources and support, including the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the MEDC, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Google is also joining Ford as a Founding Member of the district, where it will collaborate on new products and services around the future of mobility. As founding members, Google and Ford will also help mentor entrepreneurs and local businesses, as well as develop the workforce in Detroit.

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Michigan Gives $7.5m to Ford for Corktown Innovation District