(left) U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, (center) White House National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, Transportation Department Secretary Anthony Foxx and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder with Mayor Dave Bing, Representative John Dingell, Congressman Gary Peters, Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr announce federal grant spending in the City of Detroit to the media following talks on aid Friday, Sept. 27. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com)

DETROIT, MI -- Nearly $300 million in federal and private grants are headed to Detroit.

Officials from the Obama administration announced the aid alongside city officials and members of Congress at Wayne State University on Friday, two months after the city filed for bankruptcy.

"We all believe that this will be one of the great comeback stories in the history of American cities," said President Barack Obama's chief economic adviser Gene Sperling.

"These are very important commitments, but they are just steps along the way."

Large chunks of the funds come from grants that were previously awarded, but tied up in city or federal bureaucratic processes.

Sperling said top officials worked for weeks exploring what was holding up grants, getting to the point where they were confident the funds would be spent properly and releasing the funds.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said the city hasn't had the resources to properly manage the grants.

"I just don't think we've had the data at our fingertips to be able to manage it appropriately," he said. "... I do believe that the technical assistance we're going to receive from Washington is going to be a real added advantage to us... With (Obama) unleashing different department heads that have now found some money... It's going to be helpful."

Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, who took the city into bankruptcy proceedings and estimates the city's debt at over $18 billion, said he's looking into appointing a federal grants manager.

Here's a breakdown of all the funds announced Friday:

Blight and neighborhood revitalization - Over $100 million



-$65 million in "unlocked" Community Development Block Grant funds for housing demolition and rehabilitation.

-25.4 million for commercial building demolition, including $5 million from the state and $10 million from philanthropic groups

-$10.2 million in affordable housing funds from U.S. Housing and Urban Development

-$1.1 million for environmental assessments and cleanup of Brownfield sites from the Environmental Protection Agency.

-$2.5 million from the Ford Foundation for the Detroit Land Bank and Invest Detroit

-$600,000 from the Skillman Foundation to help neighborhoods fight blight

Public Safety - $30 million



-$3 million from the Justice Department for hiring new police officers, establishing a bike patrol and supporting prisoner re-entry and youth anti-violence programs.

-$25 million from the Homeland Security Department to hire 150 firefighters and purchase equipment.

-$1.35 million from the Skillman Foundation for neighborhood public safety efforts.

-$600,000 from the Skillman and Kresge foundations to improve the police department's CompStat system and bolster other initiatives.

Transportation - Over $130 million

-$125 million in U.S. Transportation Department grants to be unlocked, including the immediate release of $24 million to repair Detroit buses and install security cameras.

-$6.4 million from the Transportation Department to support the Regional Transit Authority, which is trying to implement a bus rapid transit system across the region.

-$300,000 from the Kresge Foundation to "design a high-performing transportation system serving Detroit residents in line with the recommendations of the Detroit Future City strategic framework plan."

-$3 million from the Ford Foundation to help with property acquisition for the M-1 Rail streetcar project along Woodward Avenue.

Other private grants - $22 million



-$15 million from the Ford, Kresge and Knight foundations "to cultivate Detroit entrepreneurs and small businesses through continued funding for the New Economy Initiative."

-$250,000 from the Knight Foundation "to foster the advancement of early stage retail and creative businesses in Detroit through support of the Detroit Development Fund.

-$500,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Rock Ventures to support technological upgrades and training.

-$1 million from the Ford Foundation to upgrade the city's grants management system.

-$250,000 from the Knight Foundation for 50 $5,000 grants to subsidize training of public and nonprofit employees.

-$5 million from the Ford and Kresge foundations to fund 25-30 "Revitalization Fellows" sent to city government and nonprofit groups.

Other developments:



-The White House appointed Don Graves, a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury, to oversee the federal aid plan.

-Former Detroit schools Emergency Manager Roy Roberts was named the city's new chief land officer.

-A three-person anti-blight advisory board was named. Members include Quicken Chairman Dan Gilbert, former Marygrove College President Glenda Price and Linda Smith, head of U-SNAP-BAC, a Detroit neighborhood development group.

-The Justice Department plans to gather police chiefs from around country to "bring best practices and innovation to the Detroit Police Department."

-The U.S. Energy Department will help with fixing Detroit's street lighting system.

-Sperling said more Detroit meetings will take place involving the president's chief technology officer, who will bring a team to the city to help with tech upgrades, and the education and labor secretaries, who will lead skills training initiatives.

Follow MLive Detroit reporter Khalil AlHajal on Twitter @DetroitKhalil or on Facebook at Detroit Khalil. He can be reached at kalhajal@mlive.com or 313-643-0527.