We awarded more than $4.4 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Responsive grants totaled about $1.3million and support our community investment priorities of Early Childhood Learning and School Readiness, Economic and Community Development, Individuals and Families, and Youth Development.

"This was our biggest grant round of 2014 and we’ve been heavily engaged in this work throughout the fourth quarter," says Suprotik Stotz-Ghosh, vice president, Community Investment. "These grants represent significant community resources to address immediate needs, while also funding many initiatives focusing on long-term solutions."

According to President/CEO Carrie Pickett-Erway, "Each of these grants has a connection to our interest in advancing equity, education, or both of these strategic goals, and support our vision for a community where every person can reach full potential."

The 22 responsive grants include:

  • AACORN Farm, Inc. $30,000 to support the farm vocational program
  • The Arc Community Advocates $30,000 for advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities
  • Christian Neighbors $10,000 for operating expenses
  • Community Homeworks $60,000 for weatherization for low-income homeowners
  • Ecumenical Senior Center $92,000 to support the Human Capital and Infrastructure Reorganization Project
  • Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan $25,000 to support the Kalamazoo County Tax Counseling Initiative/VITA program
  • Kalamazoo Center for Youth & Community $192,913 to improve youth outcomes in the Eastside neighborhood
  • Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center $30,000 to sponsor five daily child care slots for 2015
  • Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center $70,000 to serve the underserved of the LGBTQ community
  • Kalamazoo RESA $75,000 for Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) education in Kalamazoo County
  • Local Initiatives Support Corporation $85,000 to support the Edison Sustainable Communities Initiative and Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care
  • Michigan Immigrant Rights Center $25,000 to support Welcoming Michigan
  • Ministry with Community $55,000 to support the resource center and drop-in program
  • Open Doors Kalamazoo $35,000 for support and maintenance of Residence Community for Working People, Child, and Humanities for Everybody
  • Parents 4 Public Schools $30,000 to support the Parent Engagement Program
  • Prevention Works, Inc. $62,746 for the Achieve and Succeed Program
  • Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society $43,930 for the 2015 Racial Healing Initiative
  • Urban Alliance $20,000 for the Washington Sq./ Washington Ave./ Hays Park Transformation Reorganization project
  • West Michigan Team, Inc. $40,000 to support the Kalamazoo Employer Resource Network (ERN) development
  • YWCA of Kalamazoo $185,000 for child care and education for homeless, transient and precariously-housed children

Other grants include:

  • $2.2 million in donor-suggested grants from Advised Funds;
  • About $300,000 from Field-of-Interest Funds, which are donor-created funds that focus on specific areas of interests; and
  • About $700,000 from Designated Funds, which are funds established for the benefit of local nonprofit organizations.