The City of Flint has received a four-year W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant totaling $2,957,800 to be used to support ongoing economic development, Mayor Karen Weaver announced.
The funds will also be used to address depleted staff levels with which the city has been struggling.
“We have been meeting with (Kellogg Foundation CEO) LaJune Montgomery Tabron and her team for over a year,” Weaver says. “I can’t thank her and everyone at the Kellogg Foundation enough for their willingness to learn about the unique needs of the city and the people of Flint, and then step up to help in such a generous way. This grant will make a significant impact in our work to transition from crisis to recovery.”
Since emerging from emergency manager supervision Flint city departments have suffered from increased workloads after drastic staffing cuts and, in some cases, division closures, Weaver says. The onset of the city’s water emergency in recent years made the challenge of functioning effectively even more difficult.
“Now that the needs related to water are being addressed and lead-tainted pipes are being replaced, we have to focus on revitalization and economic development,” she says. “We need a plan in place to retain and attract more people and businesses to Flint, businesses that offer good-paying jobs for our residents. Once we accomplish that, we will have stronger neighborhoods and stronger schools, and then our population will grow.”
Weaver also thanks Ridgeway White, head of the C.S. Mott Foundation, and the Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce for ongoing support.
Tabron calls the grant a necessity to assist the community and its youth.
“For the children of Flint to thrive, the city needs to continue to build capacity for economic vitality,” she says. “This award will make it possible for Flint municipal leaders to access the skills and expertise needed to plan and implement long-term community development strategies as the city continues to recover.”
City of Flint gets four-year grant worth nearly $3 million to support economic development added by E.B. Allen on
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