Community Impact Program Grant

Overview

The Jackson Community Foundation's Grant Committee prioritizes funding for programs, services, and systems change initiatives that provide opportunities for learning, action, and advocacy aimed at advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in Jackson County.  This grant is funded by the Community Needs Endowment Fund.

PROGRAM GRANT

Limit requests to $20,000 for programs benefitting the residents of Jackson County, Michigan. Nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations, school districts, governmental entities (for programs, goods or services that are not funded through taxpayer dollars), and churches (for nonreligious purposes) are eligible to apply.

For General Operating Support, please see [here]().

Eligibility

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Application Details

COMMUNITY NEEDS ENDOWMENT FUND
GRANTMAKING PRIORITY, AIMS, AND GUIDELINES
COMMUNITY NEEDS ENDOWMENT FUND
When donors make an unrestricted gift to the Community Needs Endowment Fund at the Jackson
Community Foundation (JCF), they recognize that JCF can address ever-changing community
needs (including future needs that often cannot be anticipated at the time the gift is made). JCF
evaluates all aspects of community wellbeing, and the flexibility of unrestricted gifts enables
JCF’s program experts to respond to the community’s most pressing needs — today and
tomorrow.
In addition to building on JCF’s capacity to respond to the immediate needs of its community, the
Community Needs Endowment Fund also allows JCF to be proactive in its ongoing mission to
advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Jackson County. JCF recognizes that embracing
diversity, encouraging inclusion, and promoting equity are critical to ensuring the wellbeing of
those living in our community. As such, JCF only supports programs, services, and/or systems
change initiatives that provide opportunities for learning, action, and advocacy aimed at
advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in Jackson County.
GRANTMAKING PRIORITY
The JCF Grant Committee prioritizes funding for programs, services, and systems change
initiatives that provide opportunities for learning, action, and advocacy aimed at advancing
diversity, equity, and inclusion in Jackson County.
GRANTMAKING AIMS
To achieve this priority, JCF funds initiatives that take a targeted approach to strengthening the
Jackson community by focusing on one of the following Aims, commonly known as objectives.
Aim: We Reach our Full Potential
Aim Description: JCF envisions our community as a place where all people have the opportunity
and tools necessary to succeed along the education continuum; where all children have a chance
for learning, growth, and development; where all parents are equipped with the skills and
competencies, they need to help their children succeed at school; and where adults have the
chance to seek educational opportunities and pursue career success.
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Grantmaking Goals: JCF funds programs, services, and systems-change initiatives that seek to
give members of our community the skills and agency to grow, with the overall goal of 60 % of
our community residents achieving a postsecondary education including valuable credentials and
ultimately at a living wage.
Aim: We Are Safe
Aim Description: JCF envisions our community as a place that offers safety and justice for all
people, all neighborhoods, and the overall community.
Grantmaking Goals: JCF funds organizations seeking to reduce the rate of crime and violence in
Jackson County. JCF seeks initiatives that focus on improving trust between public safety agencies
and the communities that they serve through thoughtful advocacy and by ensuring that public
safety services benefit the most vulnerable members of our community. JCF is also committed to
increasing equity within the local justice system by funding projects aimed at increasing access
to legal services. Lastly, JCF recognizes that a variety of organizations contribute to the overall
safety of our community and, as such, funds initiatives that increase safety and justice within our
community that are not necessarily directly connected to public safety services and/or the legal
system.
Aim: We are Healthy
Aim Description: JCF wants Jackson County to be a place where all people have access to health-
related care and resources, as well as opportunities to learn the information and skills necessary
to lead healthy lives. JCF also recognizes that the health of our natural environment is an
important component of ensuring our community’s overall wellness.
Grantmaking Goals: JCF funds efforts focused on physical, emotional, behavioral, and mental
health, in addition to trauma and crisis interventions. JCF encourages organizations to collaborate
with existing community-wide action plans to address the specific health needs of Jackson County
residents. In addition to programming and services, JCF is committed to funding initiatives
focused on removing the barriers within the healthcare system that prevent people from getting
the care and attention that they need. Lastly, JCF values projects that focus on initiating practices,
policies, and procedures that protect our natural resources and the environment for the benefit
of all people.
Aim: Our Basic Needs Are Met
Aim Description: JCF envisions our community as a place where all people have equitable access
to basic necessities for living.
Grantmaking Goal: JCF funds programs, services, and systems-change initiatives that provide
food, shelter, clothing, safe water, and other necessities for people and animals living in our
community. Successful grantees not only address the immediate needs of those living in our
community, but also seek to attack the causes generating the needs and prevent these problems
before they start. JCF seeks projects that make the service systems easier to navigate.
Organizations are encouraged to communicate and collaborate with other community
organizations to broaden their collective reach.
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Aim: We Live in a Socially Just Community
Aim Description: JCF’s goal is to dismantle the root causes of racism (not simply to address the
symptoms of racism) in Jackson County.
Grantmaking Goal: JCF seeks to permanently alter the conditions that have become embedded
in local policies and practices that have resulted in racist barriers, the ultimate goal being to end
racism in Jackson County. JCF is committed to funding initiatives designed to influence systems-
level changes that sustainably address racial inequities faced by ethnic minorities living in Jackson
County.
Paths to Achieving JCF Aims
Arts, Culture & Shared Experiences
Education Readiness & Success for All
Financially Strong Individuals & Families
Civil, Social & Legal Systemic Change
Organizational Capacity Building
Youth Development
Environmental Quality, Protection & Beautification
Physical, Emotional & Mental Health
GRANTMAKING GUIDELINES
JCF DOES NOT Fund
Individuals
Debt reduction or agency endowments
Sectarian organizations for religious purposes
Any programs, goods or services funded through taxpayer dollars
For-profit organizations
Partisan political activities
Sponsorship of fundraising events
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ABOUT THE JACKSON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Pledge to the Community
We commit to collaborate with our donors and community leadership to create powerful, long-
term positive impact together.
Mission
We connect people and resources to causes that strengthen and build our community.
For Jackson. For good. For ever.
Vision
A thriving community where all people have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
Values
Act with Integrity & Transparency
Embrace Diversity & Inclusion
Advance Equity
Inspire Collaboration, Partnerships & Collective Impact
The Impact of Our Values on Grantmaking
Act with Integrity & Transparency – JCF builds and preserves public trust through honest
and visible leadership, as well as engaging in meaningful conversations with those
struggling most within our community. JCF strives to be open and forthright within the
organization, as well as with donors, grantees, and the Jackson community.
In our grantmaking, staff members serve as non-voting members of the Grant Committee.
JCF staff serve as liaisons between the Grant Committee and grant applicants, answering
questions, providing information regarding the grantmaking process, and reporting on
the results of grant rounds.
Embrace Diversity & Inclusion – JCF leads by example and uses our position in the
community to promote a greater understanding and use of policies and practices that
advance diversity and inclusion to create a greater sense of belonging for all people. JCF
understands that the diversity of Jackson County’s population is a defining element of our
community and should be considered and leveraged as one of the community’s greatest
strengths. JCF endeavors to practice and champion inclusion by honoring the voices of
people of different cultures, genders, abilities, sexual orientations, ages, and life
experiences (see Glossary of Terms for detailed definitions).
In its ongoing effort to embrace diversity and inclusion, JCF actively and deliberately
recruits diverse community members to serve on the Grant Committee. Each member of
the Grant Committee brings his/her/their own unique perspective, strengths, and voice
to the grantmaking process. JCF provides each member of the Grant Committee with an
initial orientation, as well as continuous learning opportunities, to ensure dynamic
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conversations, thoughtful and accountable decision-making, and strong funding
recommendations for the JCF Board of Trustees. JCF actively and deliberately seeks grant
proposals from organizations that are led by diverse teams and serve diverse populations
and have a practice of inclusion.
Advance Equity – JCF firmly believes that the diversity of Jackson County is one of its
greatest strengths. JCF recognizes that, to truly build on this strength, there must be a
sense of connection between members of the Jackson community (in other words, a
sense that our community is greater than the sum of its diverse parts). This sense of
connection can only exist in an environment where everyone feels respected, accepted,
and treated with dignity. JCF strives to advance equity by promoting policies and
practices, both internally and externally, to dismantle and rebuild the systems that have
created disparities within Jackson County. Our work is to use the wisdom of community
to reimagine a society that works for the benefit of all (see Glossary of Terms for a detailed
description).
JCF knows that including diverse voices to inform and better its grantmaking process is
critical to understanding the root causes of the inequities that exist in Jackson County. JCF
invests in programs, services, and/or systems change efforts that authentically engage
the voices of those that said efforts are designed to serve. JCF also encourages grant
applicants to thoughtfully utilize disaggregated data to show the scope of the anticipated
impact. JCF is uniquely qualified to build and design new solutions in partnership with
grantees and other members of the community to reimagine and redesign systems that
work for the benefit of all people.
Inspire Collaboration, Partnerships & Collective Impact – JCF values the transformative
power of collaboration, partnerships, and Collective Impact. By working together on
mutual interests, we have the capacity to create more positive and lasting outcomes for
the Jackson community (see Glossary of Terms for a detailed description).
JCF’s Grant Committee works to identify and understand the redundancies of programs
and services that presently exist within our community. JCF believes that, at least in some
instances, these redundancies are opportunities for collaboration and, in turn, greater
impact on the community. JCF believes that by working together, we are more likely to
make substantive changes to the systems, policies, and mindsets that prevent the
advancement of equity in Jackson County.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Diversity: Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different
characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. While diversity is
often used in reference to race, ethnicity, and gender, we embrace a broader definition of
diversity that also includes age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation,
socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. Our
definition also includes diversity of thought: ideas, perspectives, and values. We also recognize
that individuals affiliate with multiple identities. *
Equity: Equity is the fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while
at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full
participation of some groups. Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within
the procedures and processes of institutions or systems, as well as in their distribution of
resources. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of the root causes of outcome
disparities within our society. *
Inclusion: Inclusion is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be
and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and
welcoming climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people.
It’s important to note that while an inclusive group is by definition diverse, a diverse group isn’t
always inclusive. Increasingly, recognition of unconscious or implicit bias helps organizations to
be deliberate about addressing issues of inclusiveness. *
Racism: Race Prejudice + Misuse of Power by Systems and Institutions = RACISM **
We need a common definition of and a common analysis of racism if we want to work
on solutions to racism.
Racism is not the same thing as individual race prejudice and bigotry. All people are
racially prejudiced (regardless of racial/ethnic identity). It is part of the air we breathe. It
is socialized into every person.
Racism is more than race prejudice. It is more than individual attitudes and actions.
Racism is the collective actions of a dominant racial group.
Systemic power turns race prejudice into racism. Racial prejudice becomes racism when
one group’s racial prejudices are enforced by the systems and institutions of a society,
giving power and privilege based on skin color to the group in power, and limiting the
power and privilege of the racial groups that are not in power. **
Collective Impact: Too many organizations are working in isolation from one another.
Collective Impact brings people together, in a structured way, to achieve social change. *
It starts with a common agenda. That means coming together to collectively define the
problem and create a shared vision to solve it.
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It establishes shared measurement. That means agreeing to track progress in the same
way, which allows for continuous improvement. In our community, we begin to
understand our priorities by understanding the data about our community’s residents.
https://www.jacksoncollaborativenetwork.org/shared-measurement-system
It fosters mutually reinforcing activities. That means coordinating collective efforts to
maximize the end result.
It encourages continuous communication. That means building trust and relationships
among all participants.
And it has a strong backbone. That means having a team dedicated to orchestrating the
work of the group. In our community the Jackson Collaborative Network serves as the
backbone to our Collective Impact work. *
*The definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion were adopted from Independent Sector, a
national membership organization that brings together a diverse community of changemakers
at nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs working to strengthen civil society
and ensure all people in the United States thrive.
** The definition of racism was adopted from Crossroads and ERACCE (Eliminating Racism &
Creating/ Celebrating Equity) a Michigan nonprofit that exists to eliminate structural racism and
create a network of equitable Antiracist institutions and communities.
* The definition of Collective Impact was adopted from the Collective Impact Forum, an
initiative of FSG and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. It is the place to find
the tools and training that can help achieve success. It’s an expanding network of like-minded
individuals coming together from across sectors to share useful experience and knowledge and
thereby accelerating the effectiveness, and further adoption, of the collective impact approach
as a whole.
RECOMMENDED BY: GRANT COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
APPROVED BY: BOARD OF TRUSTEES
APPROVAL DATE: OCTOBER 28, 2021
NEXT REVIEW DATE: SEPTEMBER 2023
REQUIRED BY NATIONAL STANDARDS: YES
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