Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship (FLITE) Program
Funding Amount
Not stated
Deadline
Deadline not published
Grant Type
Foundation
Overview
Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship (FLITE)
Geographic Scope: Greater Grand Rapids region, Michigan
Focus Areas:
- Aviation innovation
- Air travel technologies and services
- Companies developing new aviation solutions
Program Description:
FLITE is a first-of-its-kind aviation innovation program that supports companies developing new air travel technologies and services. Through a combination of grant funding and real-world testing opportunities, FLITE allows participating companies to test their solutions directly within airport operations, bridging the gap between innovation and implementation.
Funding Available:
- Grant funding provided to selected companies
- Real-world testing opportunities at Gerald R. Ford International Airport
- Program has supported 40+ projects and awarded over $1.5 million in grant funding across nine rounds
Program Partners:
- Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority (lead)
- Avflight Grand Rapids
- Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
- Seamless Ventures
- Southwest Airlines
- West Michigan Aviation Academy
Selection Process:
- Competitive application process
- Companies can reapply with refined proposals
- Program provides feedback to strengthen applications
- Selection includes live airport environment testing opportunities
Contact Information:
- Eric Icard, Senior Director of Business Development
- The Right Place, Inc.
- Email: icarde@rightplace.org
- Phone: 616-350-3982
What The Right Place Inc actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2024
- Grants in 2024
- 32
- Total given
- $25.39M
- Median grant
- $25K
- Range
- $9,000–$23.67M
- By dollars: California 93%, Michigan 7%, Massachusetts <1%. Top recipient cities: Grand Rapids, MI; Holland, MI; Zeeland, MI.
- 0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
- 91% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.
Example grants
Gotion Inc · Fremont, CA
Ssrp
$23.67M
Village of Shelby · Shelby, MI
Revitalization and placemaking grant
$653K
City of Cedar Springs · Cedar Springs, MI
Revitalization and placemaking grant
$125K
S J Kingma & Associates LLC · Spring Lake, MI
Build ready sites/ssrp
$110K
Vibrant Futures · Grand Rapids, MI
Regional childcare planning grant
$110K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Startups
- Technology
Categories
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