Hundreds of public spaces from Detroit to Lake Superior have benefitted from a state-sponsored crowdfunding program that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Why it matters: The program, Public Spaces Community Places, infuses state grants up to $50,000 or $75,000 into community crowdfunding campaigns to open playgrounds, pickleball courts, dog parks and more.

Flashback: In 2018, the program helped open The Commons, a unique development on the city's east side that is part-coffee shop, part-laundromat and part-community center.

• "There isn't really a good community space around here," a general manager told Hour Detroit when it opened. "There's no libraries or public space, so that was also part of the plans."

Case in point: Grace Johns, a barista at The Commons for two years, tells Axios she feels a real sense of community there. Customers can learn about property taxes or even pick up boxes of Eastern Market produce or canned goods that are made available on occasion.

• The laundromat and coffee shop blend surprisingly well, with a colorful mural and plants surrounding the space.
• "A lot of laundromats in the area aren't clean. I hear that a lot from customers," Johns tells Axios.

State of play: Public Spaces Community Places is a partnership of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan Municipal League and crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

• Since it launched in 2014, the program has contributed more than $13 million in matching grants to more than 400 projects.
• More than 100 of those have been in Metro Detroit.

How it works: The program is open to municipalities, community groups and nonprofits.

• Applicants use Patronicity's website to build out their project's parameters. Approved projects get help launching their crowdfunding campaign, press release and all.
• If the crowdfunding campaign is successful, the MEDC will match.
• The program boasts a 97% success rate.

Zoom in: Curtis Jones Park, which opened in northwest Detroit in 2022, and Factory Two, a coworking space in downtown Flint, are among the program's success stories.

What they're saying: "This is a really popular way for those smaller, more achievable projects that are community-driven to get underway and over the finish line," Paula Holtz, regional development managing director for MEDC, tells Axios.

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Seven candidates vied for the spotlight in the first mayoral forum of the race to succeed decadelong Detroit leader Mike Duggan.

The big picture: The group used their varying experiences with leadership to differentiate themselves on top issues: public safety, affordable housing, economic growth and neighborhoods.

• The African American Leadership Institute hosted the forum Saturday at Riverside Marina with the national women's political nonprofit Supermajority.

The participants were: Former police chief James Craig, businessman Joel Haashiim, City Council member Fred Durhal III, City Council president Mary Sheffield, former nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins, attorney Todd Perkins and entrepreneur Jonathan Barlow.

• Longtime pastor Solomon Kinloch and previous candidate DaNetta Simpson also submitted petitions, but weren't present.

Our three top forum takeaways:

Empathy: Candidates want to make personal connections with Detroiters. The question is who will be able to do it most broadly and convincingly.

• They zeroed in on what they believe Detroiters need, as people with their own personal history here — from Durhal's and Perkins' perspectives as fathers to Jenkins' history with trauma and a serious health issue and Sheffield growing up watching the activism of her father, Rev. Horace Sheffield III, and others.

Banter: Onlookers want to know what this race is going to look like as it ramps up — not just in how candidates will pitch themselves, but also how they'll interact with each other.

• This was a Q&A forum, not a debate, so no rebuttals.
• But viewers did see a couple back-and-forth moments, including when candidates were asked the city's most pressing issue.
• "The single most is public safety. I thought my Republican counterpart would say that," Perkins said. Craig is a proud conservative, though the race is nonpartisan, and answered "neighborhood focus."

Read the full story, including the third takeaway ... watch the full debate

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🏀 The NBA admitted referees missed a foul on the Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. yesterday while he was shooting a 3-pointer on the final play of Detroit's 94-93 loss to the Knicks.

• "You guys saw it," Hardaway told reporters after the game. "Blatant." (AP)

🌿 Michigan's cannabis industry is in dire straits with oversupply and falling prices. Businesses and officials want state lawmakers to make reforms, including a moratorium on new licenses for growers. (Metro Times)

🌼 Looking for some native plants to host butterflies and make your home part of the local ecosystem? Here are some sales this spring and summer. (Bridge Michigan)

The Motown Museum celebrated opening its latest expansion on Friday: the Esther Gordy Edwards Centre of Excellence.

The big picture: The $10 million Edwards Centre is a couple of blocks southwest down West Grand Boulevard from the main Hitsville U.S.A. building. It'll offer rehearsal space and rooms for curators and researchers, the Free Press reported.

Context: The center adds to the small museum's recent growth, but is separate from the large, high-profile, $75 million expansion project expected to open next year with interactive exhibits, a theater, a cafe and retail.

Flashback: The center's namesake, the late Esther Gordy Edwards, was the sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy. She was a Motown Records exec who founded the Motown Museum.