{"id":2620,"date":"2022-11-30T18:48:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T18:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigancentral.com\/?p=2620"},"modified":"2022-11-30T18:48:39","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T18:48:39","slug":"community-foundation-for-southeast-michigan-announces-inaugural-grant-recipients-supporting-communities-around-michigan-central","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigancentral.com\/community-foundation-for-southeast-michigan-announces-inaugural-grant-recipients-supporting-communities-around-michigan-central\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announces inaugural grant recipients supporting communities around Michigan Central"},"content":{"rendered":"

DETROIT \u2013 The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announced it has approved the inaugural round of Michigan Central\/Church Street Community Impact Fund microgrants to support organizations that strengthen the Detroit neighborhoods of Corktown, North Corktown and Hubbard Richard.<\/p>\n

The 2022 microgrants will promote neighborhood improvement activities on a variety of issues, including youth, arts, public spaces, economic development and housing. Projects this year range from providing barista job training for Latinx youth to funding a neighborhood street hockey league to creating a brick-and-metal art installation to beautify the community.<\/p>\n

The Michigan Central\/Church Street Community Impact Fund, which the Community Foundation manages, will continue to invest in community projects as the area grows and develops. The fund\u2019s value is expected to increase over time, providing support in perpetuity through microgrants totaling approximately $35,000 to $40,000 each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese grants exemplify our flexibility in grantmaking and our commitment to ongoing community engagement,\u201d Community Foundation President Ric DeVore says. \u201cIt\u2019s vital for us to think about equitable opportunities for residents and to recognize the need for them to be able to continue to call their neighborhoods home as changes come to their community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Michigan Central Community Impact Fund was initiated with a $750,000 contribution from Michigan Central, a hub for advancing new technologies and programs that address barriers to greater social, economic and physical mobility.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetroit\u2019s entrepreneurs, local businesses and community partners are essential to Michigan Central\u2019s mission to strengthen the city\u2019s existing fabric of community and electrify its economy,\u201d says Clarinda Barnett-Harrison, Director of Skills at Michigan Central. \u201cWe look forward to seeing the impact the inaugural grantees continue to make on improving our neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Separately, but alongside the Michigan Central endowment, developer Oxford Perennial provided an additional $100,000 to support community organizations in the area to establish the Church Street Fund. Oxford has a narrower geographic focus but will make grants through the same process as the Michigan Central Community Impact Fund.<\/p>\n

The Michigan Central\/Church Street Community Impact Fund was created in response to the requests of the Neighborhood Advisory Councils through the city of Detroit\u2019s Community Benefits Ordinance process. This ordinance requires development projects that meet certain thresholds and utilize public incentives to seek community input and provide financial benefits to impacted areas. <\/p>\n

Throughout the 2022 grant cycle, the Community Foundation participated in meetings hosted by the City of Detroit and neighborhood advisory councils to engage and involve the community in the grantmaking process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese grants are proof of Michigan Central and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan\u2019s commitments to equitable development and investing in Detroit\u2019s people and neighborhoods,\u201d says Antoine Bryant, director of the city\u2019s Planning & Development Department. \u201cAs more of the Michigan Central redevelopment comes online, and as more grants are rolled out in the years to come, we are going to see an incredible transformation in the Corktown and Hubbard Richard communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2022 Michigan Central\/Church Street Community Impact Fund grants totaled $42,070. The recipients are:<\/p>\n