Courtesy of The Chronicle News
Today, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) announced the $15 million MI Impact Grant program available to Michigan’s larger nonprofits that provide programming to lift Michiganders out of poverty.
“Michigan’s nonprofits work every day to uplift their communities and bolster the economy,” said Susan Corbin, director of LEO. “We are proud to offer this grant program to strengthen Michigan’s nonprofit ecosystem and deliver on our mission to close equity gaps and remove barriers to economic prosperity.”
The grant program, which is designed to support the critical work of nonprofits that provide meaningful and sustained impact in the communities they serve, will prioritize partnerships with larger nonprofits that share the state’s commitment to providing services that help lift Michigan residents out of poverty and above the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold.
Large nonprofits could receive one-time grant funds of up to $2 million from August 2023 to August 2025 to create programming or expand current programming that helps lift Michiganders out of poverty. The application for the grant program is estimated to launch this spring. To be eligible for this funding, organizations must be a Michigan-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit or a fiscally sponsored project by a 501(c)(3).
The MI Impact Grant program supports Gov. Whitmer’s MI New Economy plan that set a goal of lifting 100,000 families out of working poverty during the next five years. The grant program also supports the recommendations of the Michigan Poverty Task Force, whose goal is to address the disparities that affect Michiganders’ abilities to afford necessities such as housing, child care, food, health care and transportation.
“The MI Impact Grant will provide much-needed support to Michigan’s nonprofits and the communities they serve,” said Kim Trent, LEO's deputy director of Prosperity and key staffer for the Poverty Task Force. “We will prioritize partnerships with organizations who provide programming that lifts Michiganders out of poverty and supports the mission of the Poverty Task Force.”
The funding is supported through the American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) with a goal to build a strong, resilient and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity. $50 million in funding will be provided to support nonprofits that have been negatively impacted due to the pandemic. The funding will be distributed through two separate programs, with a $35 million relief fund made available to smaller nonprofits earlier this year. Nonprofits may apply to either the MI Nonprofit Relief Fund or the MI Impact Grant, not both.
LEO is requesting information from nonprofits that have demonstrated experience and success in providing programming and resources to support the communities they serve, while prioritizing equitable outcomes. Nonprofits should respond to the RFI, which will inform how the grant program is designed and help to develop program strategy for the MI Impact Grant, by 12 p.m. on Friday, April 21.
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