Winter 2020 REPORT
Creating Lasting Impact
As in years past, we have been humbled by the generosity of our donors and grantees who have demonstrated their dedication to building a safer, healthier, and more equitable community for all.
We don’t always get to see the immediate impact of our work, but this year was different. Together, we moved quickly to make impactful change, while at the same time laying the groundwork for long-term growth.
Stories of Impact
Adapting our Grantmaking During COVID-19
This year has required all of us to change many aspects of the ways we live and work. At the Community Foundation, we’ve changed our grantmaking guidelines to address those changes, both for the nonprofits we work with and to better meet the needs of the communities we serve.
While the Community Foundation supports a large range of organizations, at this time we’re prioritizing applications that address plans to recover and restore organizational capacity and programs in innovative ways. As COVID-19 continues to affect our community, we’re also prioritizing support for organizations that are finding ways to serve individuals, families, and communities in crises.
Michigan Justice Fund Will Address Disparities in the Criminal Justice System
Across the country, amid protests against police violence and vehement calls for social justice, Americans are engaging in conversations about how and where racial inequities are harming — and have historically harmed — communities of color.
In Michigan, about 135,000 people are incarcerated or under a form of criminal justice supervision. Of that group, African-Americans are three times more likely than whites to be included, and numerous studies have shown that African-Americans are more likely to be charged with a serious offense, receive longer sentences, and face harsher forms of stigma upon release from the criminal justice system.
COVID-19 Relief and Resilience Grants Support Arts Organizations
This summer, the Community Foundation, in partnership with regional arts alliance CultureSource, announced $500,000 in relief and innovation funding for nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
The relief and resiliency grants from the COVID-19 Arts and Creative Community Assistance Fund exist as resources so the region’s cultural sector can continue to contribute to the public good, both in the short and long terms.
Wrapping Up the U.S. Census
After an extended data-collection process complicated by the coronavirus, the 2020 U.S. Census concluded on October 15, 2020.
Recognizing the importance of a complete count, from 2019 to spring 2020 the Community Foundation made more than $1 million in grants to more than 40 nonprofits and organizations working to mobilize residents to be counted in the U.S. Census. With the lack of in-person events, organizations got creative in their efforts to assist with self-response.