Our Neighborhood, Our Health Awards Six Grants to Local Organizations in the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood
Organizations are funded in the areas of health, public safety, and mental health
In 2020, Corewell Health, Calvin University, and the Kent County Health Department launched a community-based research pilot in Roosevelt Park to create a resident-driven model for systemic change. The Hispanic Center of Western Michigan was selected as the lead partner, tasked with conducting community assessments through focus groups and surveys. By 2023, with the support of KConnect, six diverse neighborhood initiatives in Roosevelt Park received funding to address local needs, reflecting the community’s priorities.
Our Neighborhood, Our Health, an initiative from Corewell Health Healthier Communities, collaborated with the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan and KConnect to allocate $200,000 to local organizations and entrepreneurs in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood of Grand Rapids. The initiative focused on the areas of health, public safety, and mental health, which were identified as the community’s greatest needs through extensive listening sessions and data analysis. KConnect developed four guiding design principles—Inclusivity, Transparency, Equity, and Realism—to steer the funding process. Collaborating with various partners, including the Hispanic Center, KConnect facilitated community sessions, trained funding committees, and managed application reviews. Within weeks, grant recipients were awarded funding, with constructive feedback provided to those who did not receive funding.
The recipients of the Our Neighhood, Our Health grants are:
Health
Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
The Hispanic community in the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood faces significant health disparities. The Hispanic Center of Western Michigan has two goals with the grant. First, increase access to preventative health care services by increasing referrals to health care agencies and providing social support when seeking health care services through case management. Second, we aim to increase awareness through outreach strategies, ensuring that health information is accessible to all.
$50,000
Trinity Health Grand Rapids – Clinica Santa Maria
Funding will be used to fund two programs. First, the organization will purchase an artificial intelligence (AI) camera to test the eyes of patients with diabetes. With this camera, patients get the test, learn the results immediately, and are referred to ophthalmology if the exam result shows signs of Diabetic Retinopathy. Second, the “Centering Program” will relaunch. Pregnant parents with similar due dates will meet together with their doctor to ask questions, share their concerns, and learn about pregnancy, breastfeeding, safe sleep, and labor and delivery.
$50,000
Public Safety
Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities
The Teen Leaders program has three major components: academic support, leadership development/civic engagement through internships, and creative expression. GAAH works to provide opportunities in these areas all with a foundation of trusting relationships. Building strong interpersonal relationships and networks of support for each participant is their number one focus, as they know that real individual growth and support for young people can’t happen without trusting relationships. They believe the community is safer and stronger when there are strong and trusting relationships with one another – especially with young people.
$35,000
KSSN/Southwest Community Campus Parent Group
Southwest Elementary School Academia Bilingue has established a committee consisting of parents and other members of the community who will be Guardia’s de Cruses and will oversee the success of the program. Rain or shine, Guardia’s de Cruses will promote the safety of students walking to and from school. The contribution will contribute to the success and safety of Southwest students and will be an important part of the school and community.
$35,000
Mental Health
Art of Mind LLC
AOM will use the funding to expand awareness of Mental Health as an important priority in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood. Funds will help with the creation of an AOM – Mental Health Champion certification that will target community leaders, business owners, nonprofits, and religious institutions who serve the Roosevelt Park community. This bilingual train-the-trainer model will allow leaders who interact with residents to be better equipped on identifying signs of mental health stressors and take action to support their neighbors.
$15,000
Puertas Abiertas
Puertas Abiertas was developed in January 2019 to create culturally specific strategies to enhance access to services and resources for rural and urban victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The financial support will enable them to expand 1:1 mental health therapy and therapeutic support groups for women, men, children, adolescents, and LGTBQ+ victims or witnesses of domestic abuse.
$15,000
The community-centered funding process was developed by KConnect, a local collective impact organization, to allow rapid distribution of funds for organizations that are actively creating opportunities in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood centered on equitable outcomes. This funding process, now proven successful, will be replicated in other neighborhoods and communities in order to increase access to funding streams not often available to smaller organizations and entrepreneurs.
You can learn more about the process, partners, and grantees by reading the full report here.