Nonprofits receive $4.5 million in grants from Kalamazoo Community Foundation

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, January 30, 2014

Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services

Ecumenical Senior Center

LISC

The work nonprofits do to address community concerns were supported with more than $4.5 million in grants from the Kalamzoo Community Foundation in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Grants from Advised Funds, those for which the donor suggests grants, totaled nearly $1.562 million. Grants from Field-of-Interest Funds, those which a donor focuses on specific areas, were $937,122; and grants from funds for specific nonprofit agencies were more than $1.007 million.

Gants from unrestricted funds totaled just over $1.109 million in the fourth quarter. These grants support the Community Foundation’s four community investment priorities--early childhood learning and school readiness, economic and community development, programs benefiting individuals and families, and youth development.

They include:

• Kalamazoo Center for Youth & Community: $161,783 for quality youth development and neighborhood collective impact.

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation: $150,000 for operational support.

• Kalamazoo RESA: $134,500 for the Great Start Plus program.

• Kalamazoo County Land Bank: $100,000 for the Riverview Launch program.

• Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services: $100,000 for the Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Service Homeownership Center.

• Ecumenical Senior Center: $77,000 for operational support.

• Eliminating Racism and Claiming/Celebrating Equality (ERAC/CE): $75,000 for leadership and governance development.

• Comstock Public Schools: $50,000 for renovation of the Comstock Community Auditorium.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters: $35,000 for operational support.

• Kalamazoo Public Library: $23,347 for Kalamazoo Public Library’s Anti-racism Transformational Team.

• Kalamazoo Civic Theatre: $10,000 for Academy of the Arts.

• Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center: $9,000 for the Homeless Youth Coalition pilot.

• A Variety of other grants: $183,766.

The Community Foundation does more than provide grants to the community, says Suprotik Stotz-Ghosh, vice president for Community Investment.

"Our leadership in the community is fueled by a deep knowledge of community issues and we work diligently with our partners – donors and nonprofits – to best serve the community’s short and long-term needs," says Stotz-Ghosh. "This helps ensure that we are directing the right resources to the highest priority needs."

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Tom Vance, Kalamazoo Community Foundation

Photos: Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services, Ecumenical Senior Center, Local Initiatives Support Corporation