Lisa Cripps-Downey from the Berrien Community Foundation talks to Zack about their Annual Meeting, where several grants were awarded to area non-profits.
To kick off the evening, The Alamar Non-Profit Sustainability Grant was awarded to Neighbor by Neighbor, a nonprofit focused on connecting residents of Harbor Country with basic resources and services to address immediate needs while also encouraging them to take steps toward greater self-sufficiency. In its second year, the Alamar Grant is $75,000 given over three years – $25,000 each year – to support non-profits as they seek creative ways to take care of employees and find organizational sustainability. This grant will allow the organization to focus on staff support, board development and fundraising.
“We are extraordinarily grateful,” said Neighbor by Neighbor Director Linnea Berg. “We had challenges before COVID, but now with this we will have stability.
The Berrien Community Foundation and the Frederick S. Upton Foundation partnered to provide a surprise $50,000 grant to The Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan. The grant will help create programming to enhance child abuse prevention programs needed during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
“We are just so excited and thrilled,” said Jamie Rossow, Executive Director of The Children’s Advocacy Center. “This will allow us to provide prevention and intervention on the road with added technology.”
The $50,000 Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Grant, was presented to YMCA of Greater Michiana. The grant will support a new daycare program for low and middle income families in Niles with a new model to help make daycare more affordable.
The Love Your Community Grant is presented each year to a Berrien County non-profit organization that addresses a crucial community need and makes a positive impact in the lives of Berrien County residents.
“Thank you for this recognition of the work we are doing,” said Mark Weber, Executive Director of the YMCA of Greater Michiana. “We were called to provide first responders daycare and we brought the solution. Now we will be able to provide quality daycare to low income families.
