LEO awards over $1.5M to Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan to service youth in child welfare system

MI Impact Grant supports nonprofits to help more Michiganders make ends meet

Traverse City, Mich.—Today, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) announced more than $1.5 million of the $15 million MI Impact Grant program was awarded to Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. The grant, made available to Michigan’s large nonprofits who provide programming to lift people out of poverty, will allow the nonprofit to expand services for youth in the child welfare system.

“No one should have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table for their families,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “The MI Impact Grant will provide several of Michigan’s largest nonprofits with the resources they need to continue making a meaningful and tangible impact in their communities. We remain committed to uplifting individuals living in poverty and ensure every Michigander has access to the support they need to ‘make it’ in Michigan.”

Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan was among 10 large nonprofits receiving one-time grant funds of up to $2 million to create or expand programming that lifts Michiganders out of poverty. The grant program prioritized 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.

“These funds will allow 10 large nonprofits to uplift the communities they serve and strengthen Michigan’s nonprofit ecosystem,” said LEO Director Susan Corbin. “We are proud to deliver on our mission to close equity gaps and remove barriers to economic prosperity.”

Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan believes that necessities are more than food, clothing and shelter and helps children realize their true potential through programs that give them access to sports, recreation, music lessons, summer camp and other outlets that support children who experienced trauma. The nonprofit currently serves 20 counties in northwestern Michigan and with the MI Impact Grant, the nonprofit will expand their serves to help even more clients throughout the region with day-to-day case management, basic need supports, temporary housing, mental health services and paid job training for youth in the child welfare system, juvenile justice system, on probation or with behavioral issues, facing homeless, living with disabilities or developmental delays, in special education programs and/or living in persistent poverty.

“We are so grateful to LEO for this opportunity. We are absolutely thrilled to be a recipient of the MI Impact Grant,” said Gina Aranki, Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan's executive director. “These funds are going to allow us to help more children and families in our region by providing them a continuum of services to address their most basic needs. This holistic approach will set them up for healing and growth—and a successful future.”

The MI Impact Grant program, aimed at addressing disparities that affect Michiganders’ abilities to afford necessities such as housing, child care, food, health care and transportation, plans to lift 100,000 families out of working poverty during the next five years.

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 who 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 were eligible to receive either the MI Nonprofit Relief Fund or the MI Impact Grant, not both. 

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. To learn more about their work and view a full list of grant awardees, visit the Michigan Poverty Task Force’s nonprofit webpage.