Midland Area Community Foundation Grants Over $800,000 in Third Quarter

The Midland Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees recently approved thirteen grants, including seven American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants. Total third quarter grantmaking was $821,799. ARPA grantmaking accounted for $681,199. These grants impact local nonprofits, enabling them to continue providing vital services to Midland County residents. In addition to ARPA grants, the Board approved six Foundation Directed Grants and six Community Investment Grants. Foundation Directed Grants come from field-of-interest funds reflecting the passion of Community Foundation donors. Community Investment Grants come from funds supporting the Midland area’s charitable, cultural, educational, recreational, and scientific needs in alignment with the Community Foundation’s purpose.

The Community Foundation’s third quarter grants range from $8,000 to $125,000, each focusing on one of four significant areas of community improvement: (1) building our livelihood, (2) developing our talent, (3) caring for our people, and (4) enriching our community. Successful grant applications articulated which of these areas would be benefited through the gift of funding, using various measures and indicators to illustrate success.

“Our grantmaking is designed to support the goal of building a community where everyone thrives,” said Sharon Mortensen, President & CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation. “Providing grants is one tool to help with long-term transformation.”

Third-quarter grants for 2023 include:

• 2-1-1 Northeast Michigan – $75,000 (ARPA Grant)

This project aims to streamline access to mental health resources in Midland County by identifying the need for services in an individual and creating a warm connection with a possible provider unbiasedly and equitably. The individual or person-centered outcome will focus on improving access to mental health resources through deliberate connections and follow-up. We will also focus on the community-level outcome of identifying barriers to accessing mental health in our community.

“This project will help people who need mental health services connect to providers with one-on-one support and recommendations based on their specific circumstances. It will also offer us the opportunity to have conversations with community members about the barriers they have experienced to receiving services. Awareness of these issues could provide opportunity for community leaders to implement solutions,” said Chiara Cameron-Wood, Midland Mental Health Navigator for 2-1-1 Northeast Michigan.

• Bullock Creek Schools – $15,000 (Community Investment Grant)

It is Bullock Creek Schools’ plan to host a work camp through Group Work Camps at Bullock Creek High School in July of 2024. Each day close to 400 students will travel to identified and qualified homes in our community to complete projects (roofing, wheelchair ramps, painting…). Students will come to the camp from all over the Midwest to complete these projects. The target is to do service projects on at least 40 homes in Midland County.

• Chemical City Band – $17,600 (Community Investment Grant)

The Nicholson-Guenther Community Band Shell is used primarily by the Chemical City Band to present free summer concerts in Midland’s Central Park. Although the Alden Dow-designed band shell was rebuilt in 2011, the band still relies on the city’s portable PA speaker for announcements and vocal soloists. This project will install a professional sound system attached permanently to the structure to improve audience cognition yet minimize degradation due to weather or vandalism.

• Cleveland Manor II, Inc. – $100,500 (ARPA Grant)

Cleveland Manor II, Inc. is requesting funds to cover the cost of constructing an outdoor space for Cleveland Manor residents of all accessibility levels to enjoy gatherings, events, and activities. This space would incorporate a pavilion over a concrete pad, ample seating in the form of picnic tables, and an accessible grill for preparing food. Cleveland Manor residents are all older adults and/or people with disabilities, living on low to extremely low incomes. The vulnerable population served lacks the social and emotional support systems available to the general population due to issues with transportation, mobility, digital connectivity, and affordability. The primary goal of providing this amenity would be to combat the effects of isolation on mental health, thus improving the quality of life enjoyed by older adults in Midland County, specifically those living at Cleveland Manor.

• Edenville Township – $50,000 (Foundation Directed Grant)

The goal is to acquire 1.68 acres for (1) developing additional recreation amenities and (2) providing a greenway connection between township properties, including park access to the Tittabawassee River. The master plan includes fully accessible offerings: playground, pickleball & basketball courts, splash pad, passive recreation, restrooms with connecting sidewalks, landscaping, and a new parking lot. Also in the plan is a connection to the Swanton Center via a non-motorized path.

• Greendale Township – $40,000 (Community Investment Grant)

Greendale Township has been afforded an amazing opportunity to complete the final phase of remodeling the former Pleasantview Elementary School building. This phase entails completing quarters for emergency services personnel – including office space, locker room, facilities, day room with kitchenette, and sleeping quarters. It will connect with and utilize the fourth geothermal unit for heat and cooling and require the installation of natural gas and fixtures to heat the existing garage.

• Home to Stay – $67,000 (ARPA Grant)

This grant request is for funds to be utilized by the Housing Stability Services case manager to pay up to 3 months of rental assistance to help an individual/family maintain housing and avoid eviction or pay the security deposit and first month’s rent to rehouse a household into a sustainable rental unit that is more affordable and/or out of a homeless situation. In addition, the ARPA funding would support the House Stability Services case manager position in 2024.

• Hope Township – $8,000 (Foundation Directed Grant)

Woodside Park would like to upgrade the concessions building, which also houses bathrooms. The bathrooms will double as storm shelters. To do this, the building will need to install a furnace and a propane tank with propane. This upgrade will decrease the electric bill and keep the bathroom fixtures and the security system from freezing.

• King’s Daughters and Sons of Midland, Inc. – $10,000 (Foundation Directed Grant)

Kings Daughters and Sons Community Christmas Closet provides vouchers to be used to purchase clothing at Kohl’s or Walmart for school-age children in low-income households in Midland County. They provide new clothing to school children (K – 12) and those attending a preschool program such as Head Start from low-income households who live in or attend a school in Midland County.

• Midland County Educational Service Agency – $88,199 (ARPA Grant)

The Pediatric Center for Rehabilitation and Behavioral Health (owned by the Midland County Educational Services Agency) is requesting grant funds to support professional training and development for staff from the collaborating agencies, as well as area professionals working with families of children with autism. The grant request aims to address the challenges created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing live, in-person training and developing a system to support the professional skill development and team building of the Pediatric Center’s staff.

• Ten Sixteen Recovery Network – $100,500 (ARPA Grant)

This grant request is part of a two-phase project to enhance Ten Sixteen’s Substance Use Disorder residential campus, which would add a freestanding multi-purpose Activity Center and a Withdrawal Management (detox) unit onto the existing residential facility. Once completed, Ten Sixteen’s program will be able to:

• Improve access to care for those with a severe substance use disorder.
• Create a seamless continuum of care for a person needing extended episodes of treatment.
• Enhance the breadth and depth of programming that can be provided on the campus.
• Expand the ability for family involvement in the recovery process.
• Maximize the efficiency of staffing and service delivery.

• United Way of Midland County – $125,000 (ARPA Grant)

The LIFT (Leveraging Income for Tomorrow) program focuses on offering support – relationally and financially – to individuals and families that are part of the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population. ARPA grant funding will support requests coming into 2-1-1 for the LIFT program and accommodate the increased requests for housing support. According to the 2023 ALICE Report, the number of ALICE households in Midland County has increased by 37%, the highest in recent history.

“We are honored to use these vital ARPA dollars to help with housing stability for the ALICE population. As the CERA (COVID Emergency Rental Assistance) funding has ended, we have seen a drastic rise in requests for rental, repair and utility assistance. These dollars will go to work helping to stabilize many local individuals and families,” said Holly Miller, President & CEO of United Way of Midland County.

• West Midland Family Center – $125,000 (ARPA Grant)

This grant request is for needed renovations to a building purchased by the West Midland Family Center to provide a Surplus Food and Goods Distribution Center for the community. The Surplus Food and Goods Program was an established service in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on a much smaller scale than it is currently – based on the significantly increased need of people in rural Midland communities.

Competitive grants are offered quarterly. Grants are open to all 501(c)(3) nonprofit agencies, educational institutions, and government entities in Midland County. To inquire about donating, establishing a fund, or applying for a grant, contact the Community Foundation at (989) 839-9661 or info@midlandfoundation.org.