MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Michigan State Police (MSP) Grants and Community Services Division (GCSD) has opened funding applications for university cold case programs, such as at Northern Michigan University.
Colleges in Michigan with an existing cold case program, or who will begin one in the fiscal year 2026 are able to apply for up to $200,000 in funding towards the course’s operational expenses.
The MSP hopes this funding will bring more real-world opportunities for criminal justice departments across Michigan.
“With these partnerships it’s great to reevaluate the cases, get a fresh set of eyes on them, and utilize new technology,” explained MSP 8th District Public Information Officer, Ben Eckola. “We’re looking forward to partnering and hopefully expanding on some of these cold case programs statewide.”
Currently, NMU holds the only cold-case program in the Upper Peninsula, and has recently helped solve a 39-year-old cold case out of Delta County in August 2025. Those details can be found here.
Universities must submit their applications to the MSP GCSD before 12:00 p.m. on February 18, 2026.
Also through the MSP GCSD, counties in Michigan may request up to $25,000 towards development of critical incident mapping, with each county eligible to receive up to three individual grants. Those completed applications must be submitted to the MSP GCSD before 12 p.m. EST on March 4, 2026.
Full details on the grants can be found at michigan.gov.
