Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF) and United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region (UWBCKR) reactivated joint crisis relief grantmaking in November 2020.

As of September 8, funds are still available in joint funding. Our grantmaking team meets weekly to make decisions. To date, 67 grants totaling over $2 million have been distributed to the community.

Below are the list of nonprofit partners that have received relief grants from our joint funds and how those dollars are used in the community:

• Kalamazoo Youth Development Network: Support Kalamazoo Public School students in their virtual learning with in-person adult support. Learning Hubs give students access to WiFi, healthy snacks and meals, enrichment activities and mental health and wellness resources. Students also have in-person, socially distanced support and outdoor recreation and physical activity.

• Kalamazoo Public Schools: Expanding social-emotional learning supports from two to 25 schools during virtual learning.

• Integrated Services of Kalamazoo: Four months operations for an alternate day shelter at The River Church.

• Disability Network of Southwest Michigan: Short-term housing (1-2 night stays) in a local hotel for people with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness in Kalamazoo County.

• Senior Services SW MI: Home delivered meals for seniors.

• Allen Chapel AME Church : Mental health counseling, supplies, utility assistance.

• African Community Kalamazoo: Food, rent assistance, supplies for babies.

• Catholic Family Services : Support for emergency food assistance.

• El Concilio : Mi Gente Fund to support undocumented Latinx individuals and families with housing, utility bills, funeral and medical bills.

• Community Student Connection: Emergency rent, food, medical and utility assistance for international and other college students.

• Ministry with Community : Purchasing air filters for rooftop furnace/air conditioning units.

• Kalamazoo Literacy Council : Expansion of Laptop Loaning Program; technology support for clients to meet literacy needs.

• Christian Neighbors SE: Direct financial support to clients for utilities, rent, etc..

• Helping Other People Exceed Through Navigation : General support and basic needs for families and clients who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

• Guardian Finance & Advocacy Services : Purchasing air purifiers for the office.

• YWCA Kalamazoo: Hazard pay for frontline workers, purchase of Personal Protective Equipment for clients, and direct client assistance for the holidays.

• Residential Opportunities Inc.: Hazard pay for staff who provide direct care to clients.

• Christian Global Medical Healthcare Inc. : Medical care for COVID-19 impacted residents.

• Steps to Victory: Supporting client access to basic needs: shelter, food, transportation, Personal Protective Equipment, etc.

• Community Action : Assisting clients with rent and mortgage payments.

• Community Action: Assisting clients with past due/shut-off utility bills.

• South County Community Services : Direct financial assistance to families and individuals.

• St. Luke’s Diaper Bank : Providing diapers and supplies to families.

• Kalamazoo County Ready 4s : One-time hazard payment to educators within the Kalamazoo County pre-K network.

• Kalamazoo Collective Housing : Rent relief program for residents.

• Intrepid Professional Women’s Network: Purchasing of gift cards, self-care kits, and personal protection items for clients.

• AIMS Kidz : Indoor space, supplies, food and volunteer stipends to deliver community engagement and support to youth in the virtual learning space.

• Kalamazoo Public Schools: Winter coats and boots for students, temporary hotel stays for families.

• Integrated Services of Kalamazoo : Transportation (bus/train tickets) to assist unsheltered individuals in relocating to their hometowns.

• My Brother’s Keeper: Diapers, wipes, pull-ups, and infant formula, as well as mask making materials and hygiene kits.

• Prevention Works : Tablets and mobile hotspots to support virtual programming for youth and families.

• Gryphon Place : Assisting with burial/funeral expenses for low-income residents.
  
  
• Constance Brown Hearing Center: Helping older adults confined to nursing homes or care facilities to regain hearing and communication capacity.

• YWCA/Northside Preschools: Personal Protection Equipment for three Northside Preschool sites.

• Senior Services : Home delivered meals for seniors homebound due to COVID-19.

• Community Healing Centers: COVID rapid tests and Personal Protection Equipment/supplies for addiction and prevention services.
  
  
• HOPE through Navigation : Operational support for a Recovery and Resilience Trauma Center to support families experiencing trauma including those impacted by the criminal justice system and by gun violence.

• Smile Savers : Personal Protection Equipment and operational costs for a mobile dental unit

• ACLU : Mitigating COVID-19 risk to people detained at the Calhoun County Detention Center.

• Christian Neighbors: Basic needs such as rent assistance, utilities or food.

• Steps 2 Victory: Counseling services, basic needs support, shelter/housing, food, utilities and transportation.

• KYDNet : Learning Hubs to support the third virtual learning trimester for Kalamazoo Public School students.

• Open Doors Kalamazoo : Operational costs for one month of emergency response hoteling to shelter unhoused residents.

• InterAct of Michigan : Security installation and PPE.

• City of Kalamazoo: Support for COVID-19 adaptations needed for Parks and Recreation summer programming.

• Allen Chapel AME Church: Cleaning, PPEs and education and resources for vaccinations

• Rootead: Black and Brown Therapy Collective internal expenses and therapy for community members.

• Goodwill: Staffing costs to help families, identified through the CERA eviction prevention applications, to connect with wrap around community services as needed.

• African Community Kalamazoo: Food, housing assistance and other basic needs for African immigrant families including nursing mothers, as well as some staff costs.

• Community Action: Rental and mortgage assistance.

• Uplift Kalamazoo, Fiscal Agent: Public Media Network: Support for their meal delivery program: van and associated costs, kitchen supplies, food, hygiene and PPE supplies, safe food certifications.

• South County Community Services: Support for COVID related emergency financial assistance, housing, utilities.

• Kalamazoo Continuum of Care, Ampersee Support: Support for basic hygiene and cleaning at Ampersee Encampment.

• Christian Neighbors: Support COVID-related emergency financial assistance related to housing, move in, rent, utilities, etc.

• Street Medicine Kalamazoo: Support community-based primary and emergency medical care for the homeless, including care and vaccinations at the encampment.

• Emmanuel Foundation: Support the COVID-related needs of technology, school support, job readiness and coaching, for community members resettling through the refugee and immigration process.
  
  
• Portage Public Schools: Support teacher lead hobby and activity learning geared at enhancing relationships with faculty and other students to support mental health and belonging during the transition back from lockdown.

• Intrepid Professional Women's Network : Ongoing COVID support and wellness kits, online support, return to work training and support, basic needs

• Helping Other People Exceed Through Navigation: Housing services and support for those experiencing gun violence

• South County Community Services: Direct emergency financial assistance and basic needs

• Community Action: Support the needs of local encamped and homeless through Project Connect

• Kalamazoo Public Schools: Support Digital Access for All, mobile hot spots.

• African Community Kalamazoo: Support rent, food and basic needs

• El Concilio: Mental health supports

• East Side Youth Strong: Regular sanitization of youth program spaces.

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