The students worked with PACENation on policy research and recommendations regarding a potential residential PACE program in...

The student documented the existing pathways for locally-based renovation contractors to take advantage of economic opportunity in...

Soularadity in Highland Park is a community driven, energy justice non-profit building a brighter future with education, organizing and people-powered clean...

Students supported the development of a Climate Health Agenda for the eastside of Detroit through policy research, working with government departments at various levels, and utilization of project management...

The student provided ACCESS with strategic planning support, including qualitative program evaluation (survey design and implementation, focus groups), agency-wide theory of change model, etc., to help streamline internal...

The student research assistant created a menu of avenues for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and the Huron Clinton Metro Parks to work together in moving forward with a public-private...

This policy project is focused on displaced workers in Michigan. The students will provide research assistance looking at the effects of technology on middle skill workers, The research findings will be used to inform strategies for re-engaging workers displaced by...

The student team conducted a grocery store feasibility study to help the community determine if the Township has the necessary traffic to support a full service grocery store and also help to determine the best location as well as the best type of grocery store for the...

The Ann Arbor City Council asked the city’s CFO to recommend a new approach to the city’s budgeting process that would better engage citizens and produce a budget that is more responsive to their preferences. Students conducted research on best practices in peer communities, interviewed key informants and stakeholders, and made recommendations to the...

The student team assisted the partner in navigating the legal and governmental requirements for possible expansion of their programs into additional...

The students provided a concept paper which analyzed the feasibility of the US Government working with the Government of Azerbaijan to develop its capacity to provide maritime security in the Caspian Sea as a block on...

Provided research assistance to INL’s efforts to create nimble data tools to support informed...

The students worked with Detroit Hives to establish Detroit as an office Bee City.  They prepared the official application to Bee City USA and laid the groundwork for the passage of a Detroit City Council...

The students worked with YFSU to assess policies impacting custodial and noncustodial families in the child support system and develop a toolkit to be used with potential funders and...

During this projects, students supported the organization’s effort to prepare for grassroots-driven community and economic development.  They researched the development of the Virginia Park neighborhood by analyzing data sets and surveys spanning from 1976 to present day in order to address the needs of residents and outline a plan for future...

The students explored a variety of approaches that WISD could adopt and developed a set of policy recommendations for the agency in regards to distributing state special education funds to schools in its...

This project focused on researching the framework for approaching and defining food systems in Michigan with the intent of informing future policy recommendations. These recommendations will aid in the creation or revision of educational and technical training programs to fill identified workforce/talent gaps. Student provided assistance with conducting informant interviews and developing a case study example around Michiganders who perform various food systems jobs. The student also helped with secondary data collection and analysis, as well as employer outreach, cataloguing and vacancy...

The student team assisted the community partners to make the case for development of affordable housing.  They also helped determine which parcels might be most feasible and/or best suited for this sort of development, allowing the partners to prioritize which parcels are recommended to City Council for affordable housing or mixed-income...

The students’ research helped in the development of a policy agenda that the Detroit Regional Chamber can use to champion providing educational opportunity for low-income...

This project focused on the preparation for the introduction of legalized marijuana into the city of Ann Arbor. It was in partnership with the City of Ann Arbor and Mayor Christopher Taylor. Student was responsible for identifying peer communities in states that have recently legalized marijuana and for conducting research on their experiences. The student was also responsible for utilizing interviews, web searches and surveys and policy research to develop requested...

The students developed  a series of policy recommendations aimed at reducing the scope and impact of antiquities...

The students examined and made recommendations related to the potential benefits of multi-county public defense...

The City of Adrian, Michigan seeks to become the first community in North America to have fully autonomous electric bus service providing its public transportation. The City intends to launch a fixed route system with Project Rising Tide, a program offering coordinated state resources and technical assistance in Michigan. In addition, the City is working to bring ongoing federal financial assistance towards the service. The student research assistant helped with examining current federal support for transportation, researched sustainable transportation funding, and helped determine how to...

This project centered on quantifying the economic impact of USCBP policies regarding containerized shipping with the intent of showing the adverse effects of limiting such cargo from entry to The Port of Monroe. Impact was analyzed in terms of direct partners, regional stakeholders, and the overall state economy. Students worked with P3E Director and Port of Monroe Port Director to identify impacts of new USCBP policy and draft recommendations based on research...

The Port of Monroe, Michigan, is a municipally owned port, strategically located on the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes Seaway. In recent years, the port has taken an aggressive strategy towards the development of its facilities in order to compete as a major player in maritime shipping. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) has taken a very stringent approach to how the port handles international cargo, causing the port to miss several key opportunities. Students examined the USCBP’s policies relative to other Great Lakes regions and estimated the economic losses, both direct and indirect,...

NC3 is a national organization that advocates for changes in policy and practice to open opportunities to small-scale investors. NC3 is motivated by the idea that democratizing investing benefits businesses, investors, and communities. To help create a knowledge base of best practices, successes and failures, students conducted in-depth case studies of local investments from across the U.S., developed an evaluation methodology and used it to analyze the cases, and wrote a report that will be used as background information at the National ComCap Conference in Detroit in Spring...

About half of workers—especially those who are low income or employed by small firms—lack access to a retirement savings plan through their employer. To address this issue, a growing number of states have proposed or begun implementing programs to provide access to workers whose employer does not offer a retirement plan. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is interested in learning more about recent developments in state efforts to expand coverage in retirement savings plans. For this project, students conducted internet searches and conducted in-depth case studies of 2-3 states to...

The University of Michigan Alumni Association’s Camp Michigania started a master / strategic planning process. Students conducted research and benchmarking with other alumni family camps and similar programs and facilities. Students undertook the following, including but not limited to: information gathering including internet research, phone interviews, focus groups, site visits, data analytics and demographic analysis. Recommendations and background research were shared with Master Planning...

A previous SPPC project with Ed-Trust Midwest analyzed quantitative/administrative data from Michigan to characterize inequities in teacher quality across the state. This project used primarily qualitative methods to build on that previous study to identify promising career pathways for teachers in lower-performing districts. Students conducted background research, identified best practices, and critically examined options for improving teacher...