Berston Field House in north Flint
FLINT, Michigan – In the first round of grants approved since the Ruth Mott Foundation extended its strategic plan to focus on north Flint another five years, the Board of Trustees approved 20 awards totaling $2,418,235.
The funds announced in May will go toward programs that strengthen neighborhoods and create opportunities for north Flint residents.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affecting not only health but also economic wellbeing, several of the funded initiatives include job training programs. Providing access to training and employment supports is intended to help increase the number of residents in the workforce.
St. Luke NEW Life Center, as one example, helps north Flint men and women maintain employment through the operation of three social enterprises: commercial sewing, pallet production and landscape maintenance. The social enterprise jobs at St. Luke allow workers to build their employment history, continue developing skills needed to hold a job and pursue other opportunities when the time is right.
In another job training program, Flint Innovative Solutions’ Tire Project provides intensive hands-on preparation for north Flint residents to obtain entry-level positions at automotive repair centers. These currently in-demand skillsets lead to stable employment and potential career advancement.
Job training falls under the Foundation’s economic opportunity priority. The three other priority areas chosen by north Flint residents are youth, public safety and neighborhoods.
Additionally, a $100,000 grant for the Greater Flint Urgent Relief Fund will help provide aid to nonprofits providing critical services to residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all, the awards include:
SPECIAL INITIATIVES
Community Foundation of Greater Flint — Greater Flint Urgent Relief Fund — $100,000
YOUTH
YMCA of Greater Flint — Safe Places 2021–2022 — $100,000
Active Boys in Christ — ABC Youth Project 2021 — $30,140
Clingman Foundation — Academic Improvement College Readiness Program 2021 — $28,000
Jackson Park Youth League — Jackson Park Youth Engagement Project – RBI 2021 — $20,000
PUBLIC SAFETY
Genesee County Parks & Recreation — North Flint Public Safety Strategy 2021 — $390,000
Neighborhood Engagement Hub — The Porch Project 2021 — $30,600
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Flint STRIVE — Northside Impact Strategic Plan 2021 — $140,000
100K Ideas — 100K North Flint Programming Initiative — $30,000
Flint Innovative Solutions — Tire Project 2021 — $20,240
Communities First, Inc. — Economic Mobility and Wealth Building in North Flint — $20,000
NEIGHBORHOODS
Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village — General Operation 2021–2023 — $320,000
St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center — North Flint Social Enterprises 2021–2023 — $200,000
United Way of Genesee County — Friends of Berston General Operation 2021–2023 — $200,000
Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village — North Flint Neighborhood Action Council 2021–2023 — $122,000
Community Foundation of Greater Flint — Neighborhood Small Grants Program 2021 — $90,000
Genesee Chamber Foundation — Flintside: On the Ground 2021 — $37,260
FOUNDATION INITIATED GRANTS
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan — Michigan Justice Fund — $500,000
United Way of Genesee County — R.L. Jones Center Youth Employment & Job Training — $30,000
Genesee County Health Dept. — Rides to Wellness – COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics — $9,995
North Flint as defined by the Ruth Mott Foundation includes everything within the city limits north of Flushing Road/5th Avenue/Robert T. Longway Boulevard. In adopting this targeted place-based strategy, the Foundation believes that focusing on a defined area with longstanding challenges – and engaging the residents in that area to help determine solutions – will result in a greater positive impact.
For more information on the awards, visit www.ruthmottfoundation.org/grants.
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