Plans for a greenway cutting through the heart of downtown Ann Arbor received another boost on Thursday with $21,100 in grant funding for promotional efforts announced.

The Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy has been awarded two separate grants from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation and the MillionMile Greenway to support the organization's efforts.

With a combined value of $21,100, the grants enable the conservancy to move forward with community outreach and engagement to increase membership, public awareness and community collaboration, leaders of the conservancy stated.

"These grants give us the ability to continue to increase our community efforts through events, promotional material and online presence," said Bob Galardi, the conservancy's president.

The proposed Allen Creek Greenway — a series of connected open spaces and pathways that would follow alongside the Ann Arbor Railroad tracks — is expected to start near Michigan Stadium and run north and south, winding its way through downtown Ann Arbor, ultimately connecting to the Border-to-Border Trail near Argo Pond.

"The greenway, a paved trail, will provide safe, accessible walking and biking throughout downtown Ann Arbor, establish physical barriers from existing railroad tracks, and create better connectivity north to south," Galardi said.

The city of Ann Arbor owns three floodway/floodplain properties —at 415 W. Washington, 721 N. Main and First/William — where city officials hope to see greenway anchor parks developed.

The Ann Arbor City Council in June approved a contract to demolish two buildings at 721 N. Main St., and separately committed $750,000 for a greenway park there.

The city is planning to establish the first of three greenway anchor parks there by transforming the old maintenance yard behind the Ann Arbor Community Center into a green open space with trails.

The city is seeking grant funding for the $1.2 million project to create the greenway park there, including stormwater features, native plantings and interpretive signage.

The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission has agreed to contribute $150,000 toward the greenway vision for 721 N. Main, which includes trails connecting to the Border-to-Border Trail.

The city also is hoping to win a $300,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund later this year, and another $600,000 from the Transportation Alternatives Program through the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments/Michigan Department of Transportation.

That leaves another $150,000 that would come from the city's stormwater fund.

The $150,000 county parks grant is contingent upon successful receipt of the $300,000 state grant.

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation's award of a $10,000 grant will help the Greenway Conservancy build community partnerships with the city, the county and the University of Michigan and provide community outreach through promotional material and events.

The foundation has a long history of supporting local community organizations that sustain and protect the local environment — from Recycle Ann Arbor to the Legacy Land Conservancy.

A start-up grant to the Ecology Center in 1972 helped launch Ann Arbor's first drop-off recycling stations, and a 2009 grant helped launch Michigan's first local clean energy financing program.

A grant valued at $11,100 from MillionMile Greenway, an Atlanta-based nonprofit, combines a cash award and in-kind services from MMG's experts in marketing and technical planning. MillionMile Greenway helps communities create or expand trail and greenway initiatives.

"This project has every essential element we look for in a partner," said Jim Langford, president of MillionMile Greenway, noting the 2.3-mile greenway trail can connect to 13 miles of existing nature trails to the north — "a powerful benefit to living in Ann Arbor."

Other recent projects in which MillionMile Greenway was involved include the Northend Greenway in Harrisonburg, Virginia; the Spotsylvania Greenways Initiative in Spotsylvania County, also in Virginia; and the South Fork Conservancy inside the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

Galardi said next steps for the Greenway Conservancy include public meetings and a special event this fall. Sign up to receive electronic updates at www.AllenCreekGreenway.org

• Visit the group's Facebook page.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.