Grants

Seven South Sudanese teenagers whose families live in a Kenyan refugee camp, will now receive a high school education because of scholarships awarded by the South Sudan Center of America (SSCA), a local Las Vegas charity. SSCA was founded by Biar Atem, a Sands Cares Hero of the Year and Team Member at The Venetian and The Palazzo who was a South Sudanese “lost boy.” He was also named by Fortune magazine as one of the top 50 “Heroes of the 500.” The center seeks to assist and educate South Sudanese refugees living in the United States and abroad.

The Consumers Energy Foundation has donated $10,000 to the city of Walker to help with the maintenance and addition of art work to the pedestrian tunnel under Lake Michigan Drive.

The Wells Fargo Foundation grant will be used by LSS to launch GetLifted, an innovative effort focused on creating financial wellness and responsibly reducing debt among residents in the North Side of Minneapolis and East Side of St. Paul. The goal of GetLifted is to empower local residents with financial tools, capabilities, and resources from local community leaders. LSS will partner with local organizations and individuals to provide financial education training.

Pentair, a global company dedicated to building a safer, more sustainable world, recently announced its eighteenth consecutive year of philanthropic giving by The Pentair Foundation. In its first grant cycle of 2017, community grants totaling more than $250,000 were awarded to 14 organizations focused on providing services related to water, food and education.

As the school year wraps up, local partners are looking ahead with a focus on practical solutions to help close the achievement gap and prepare the future workforce. Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and AchieveMpls, in partnership with the Cargill Foundation, today announced a major three-year investment of $4 million for MPS Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID); Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs; and AchieveMpls Career & College Centers in MPS high schools. The grant will provide critical support for student academic success and career and college readiness through 2020.

Consumers Energy employees are taking part in volunteer efforts this spring to support environmental stewardship and sustainability throughout Michigan. Lansing’s Fenner Nature Center is one of the beneficiaries, thanks to employee Scott McPhail. McPhail, an engineer with Consumers Energy in Jackson, has been an active volunteer at the Fenner Nature Center for more than two years and also serves on the organization’s board of directors.

Morgan Stanley Foundation today announced $750,000 in grants to local food banks in 15 cities across 11 states to support hunger-relief programs that deliver nutritious meals to children and families. Over the past four years, this specific grant program has awarded more than $5 million from the Morgan Stanley Foundation to help launch, expand and sustain critical childhood feeding programs.

That title might seem surprising coming from a grants management software company, but it’s a reality we face every day with our clients. There is no shortcut to achieving impact with your philanthropy programs. Simply buying a grants system to measure outcomes won’t get you to greater insight or greater impact. You need a plan and that’s not something you generally look to your software vendor to provide.

As summer begins, many of us are looking forward to spending time enjoying the freedoms we’re blessed with as Americans. On Memorial Day, our Nation will take the time to pause and respect the true meaning of these moments, the true price of those freedoms.