Community Foundation grants $787,000 to local nonprofits

The third round of Kalamazoo Community Foundation grants for 2012, approved recently by the Community Foundation’s board of trustees, includes $786,950 for 15 local organizations.

The grants were made in support of the organization’s four community investment priority areas: Early Childhood Learning and School Readiness, Economic and Community Development, Individuals and Families, and Youth Development.

Grants over $100,000 included:

• Kalamazoo County’s Young Adult Diversion Court Pilot program, $150,000. This Youth Development grant will assist this program designed to begin a transformation of the traditional court system in Kalamazoo. The new focus is on moving from punitive treatment of young adult offenders to providing empowering community-based diversion court collaborations that will lead to lower recidivism, as well as higher forms of self-awareness and self-esteem.
• Kalamazoo RESA’s Great Start Plus program for at-risk families, $134,450. This Early Childhood Learning and School Readiness grant will enable Kalamazoo RESA to extend its involvement with children and families to increase and stabilize parent skills and child development following the trauma of Child Protective Services intervention.
• Housing Resources Inc.’s Shelter Diversion program, $125,000. This Individuals and Families grant will assist with the pilot shelter diversion program, designed to prevent homelessness for those seeking shelter by helping them identify immediate alternative housing arrangements. These funds will help connect these families with services and financial assistance to help them return to permanent housing while avoiding a shelter stay.
• Community Homeworks’ Homeowner Education program, $125,000. This Individuals and Families grant will assist the organization in providing home maintenance and repair education to low-income residents in Kalamazoo County. The grant goes farther thanks to matching funds available to Community Homeworks by Consumers Energy.

Other grants included:

• Western Michigan University Foundation for Kalamazoo County’s Infant Foster Care Unit, an Individuals and Families grant of $50,000.
• Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Kalamazoo Kids in Tune (Year 2), a Youth Development grant of $50,000.
• Kalamazoo Literacy Council’s ENT-R Adult Literacy Initiative, an Individuals and Families grant of $30,000.
• Shepherd Center of Greater Kalamazoo, an Individuals and Families grant of $20,000. 
• InterAct of Michigan, Inc.’s development of Cognitive Enhancement Therapy, an Individuals and Families grant of $20,000.
• Michigan College Access Network’s National College Advising Corps member at Comstock High School, a Youth Development grant of $20,000.
• Interfaith Homes’ Community Advocates for Parents and Students, a Youth Development grant of $17,500.
• Kalamazoo Book Arts Center’s development and promotion of KBAC Educational Programs and retail store, an Economic Development grant of $15,000.
• Parents 4 Public Schools’ Pathways to Parent Leadership, an Individuals and Families grant of $10,000.
• Lifecare, Inc.’s Resilience Project, a grant of $10,000.
• Hospitality House of Southwest Michigan’s front porch renovation, an Economic Development grant of $10,000.