PHOTO BY MELVIN SMITH
The Rev. Stacy Spencer and Janiece Lee post MICAH’s Justice and Equity Charter at City Hall in June 2020.
The Kresge Foundation has announced a $30 million suite of grants for grassroots racial and economic justice organizations in Memphis, as well as in Detroit, New Orleans, and Fresno, California.
The $1.9 million designated for local recipients will go to Latino Memphis, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis (Power of Place Fund), FSG (supporting the formation of a community collaborative to accelerate economic inclusion and mobility in conjunction with the Power of Place Fund), Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH), My Sistah’s House, Refugee Empowerment Program, and River City Capital.
Chantel Rush, managing director of Kresge’s American Cities Program, says the investment is intended to “send a message to grassroots organizers and philanthropic institutions that racial and economic equity is essential to the health and growth of urban regions and should be adequately funded. With these place-based grants, we aim to enable community organizations with unrestricted resources to meet their community’s specific needs while achieving economic racial justice and inclusive growth in cities.”
The grants primarily provide general operating support over the next three years to ensure the organizations will have significant and predictable resources. Additional information on the recipients and what they are doing is here.