83 Grants Awarded to Nonprofits Across Ingham County

LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 15, 2021) — Today, the Ingham County Board of Commissioners and the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) announced additional grant recipients of the $11M Ingham County Sunrise Small Business Grants Program. Eighty-three nonprofit organizations from across Ingham County received grants of $10,000 or $20,000 based on annual revenue, employment, and other factors, for a total of $1,240,000 in grant awards. The nonprofit awards add on to the $3,235,000 in grant funds LEAP and Ingham county awarded in the Retail, Goods, and Services and Hospitality and Tourism categories in September 2021, for a total of $4,475,000 distributed to date. Relief grants in other categories will be awarded in the coming weeks, including grants for sole proprietors, new businesses started during the pandemic, and restaurants/eateries/taverns. Capacity-building grants for childcare providers and business incubators are also expected to be awarded within the next month.

"Ingham County's Sunrise grant program continues to deploy ARPA funds to fill critical funding gaps in the community," said Ingham County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bryan Crenshaw. "LEAP continues to impress with their ability to deliver these funds and we’ve been grateful for the investment in due diligence aimed at ensuring funds reach those with the highest need in our community." 

The application and review process for the Ingham County Sunrise Small Business Grant Program was intentionally and collaboratively designed to address inequities of the economic impact of COVID-19 and subsequent inaccess to initial relief efforts for underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), women, veterans, people with disabilities and people who are LGBTQ+.

The multistage and multi-entity review process, including thorough conflict of interest removal and rigorous due diligence, included over 15 individual reviewers from diverse organizations with both business and nonprofit experience and knowledge. Each application was reviewed independently by three reviewers.

"The Lansing area is a hub for nonprofits statewide, with a notable cluster in northwestern Ingham County in the City of Lansing,” said Bob Trezise, president & CEO of LEAP. "In addition to providing a variety of crucial support to our community, nonprofits make a significant impact on the regional economy through employment and the purchase of goods and services. The Sunrise grant program is able to fund over half of the nonprofit applicants, far and away the highest percentage of any program LEAP has coordinated.” 

Ingham County created the Ingham County Sunrise Small Business Grant Program in April 2021 using $11 million from the county's first tranche of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds as authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The program includes working capital grants targeted to address ARPA and previous pandemic relief funding gaps, historic economic harm to socially disadvantaged populations, and the business types, industries, and areas of greatest need in Ingham County related to the COVID-19 crisis while also positioning the region's largest county for sustainable long-term recovery. The county selected LEAP to administer the program on its behalf.

Geographic and demographic detail of applications received and awarded in the Nonprofit, Retail, Goods and Services and Tourism and Hospitality categories and all program documentation, including the application review process and scoring criteria, is available on LEAP's website.

Ingham County Small Business Sunrise Grant Program
Nonprofit Grant Awards Distribution Detail

Nonprofit Applications and Awards

• Eligible applications received: 146
• Grants awarded: 83
• Percent of applicants awarded: 57%

Nonprofit Grantees Organizational Leadership Demographics

• * Board comprised of majority (50%+) underrepresented leadership: 90%
• * Executive Director identifies with one or more underrepresented populations: 85%

* For the purpose of the Ingham County Sunrise Grant Program, underrepresented is define as including any of the following populations: BIPOC, women, veterans, LGBTQ+ and/or persons with disabilities.

Nonprofit Grantees by Amount

$10,000 Awards (42 awards)

• Against All Odds
• BRAND NEW ME WORKSHOP Inc
• Children's Ballet Theatre of Michigan
• Cristo Rey Church
• Crown Boxing
• Eagles Sports of Lansing
• Footprints of Michigan
• Giitigan Anishinaabe Community Garden
• Grit Glam and Guts
• GTBC
• HAPPENDANCE INC
• Healers of Color Collaborative of Michigan Inc
• Help A Willing Kid Foundation
• Hmong Family Association of Lansing, Michigan
• ICHANGE
• Kids Turning Corners Inc.
• Lansing Makers Network
• Leslie Outreach, Inc
• LMTS Outreach
• Love on Assignment
• Maranatha Spanish Assembly of God
• Michigan Pottery Association
• Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council
• International Humanitarian Services
• Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center
• Pass It On, Inc
• Pearls of Excellence Foundation
• St. Matthew A.M.E. Church
• St. Vincent Catholic Charities
• STEM For All
• Team Glass Boxing
• The Fledge Foundation
• The Listening Ear Crisis Intervention Center
• The New Citizens Press Community Action Network
• The Village Lansing
• Transcendence Performing Arts Centers, Inc.
• Union Missionary Baptist Church
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing
• Voices of Color
• Woven Vessels International Ministry

$20,000 Awards (41 awards)

• Arts Council of Greater Lansing
• ASPIRE Relationship Education
• Aspire of Mid-Michigan
• Building Twentyone
• CapCAN
• CASA For Kids Inc
• Closing The Digital Gap (CTDG)
• Eastside Community Action Center
• Ele's Place
• Forster Woods Adult Day Center
• Greater Lansing Islamic School
• Habitat for Humanity Capital Region
• Haven House
• Helping Hands Respite Care
• It's A Breast Thing
• Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan
• Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center
• Lansing Symphony Orchestra
• Meta Peace Team
• MICA
• National Network Organization for Veterans, Inc
• NorthWest Initiative
• Old Town Commercial Association
• Opportunity Resource Fund
• Playmakers Fitness Foundation INC
• Riverwalk Theatre
• Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan
• Small Talk Children's Advocacy Center
• South Lansing Farmers Market, South Lansing Urban Gardens
• Southside Community Coalition
• Stoneleigh Residence and Ionia Area Hospice
• The Davies Project for Mid-Michigan Children
• The Reading People
• The State News
• Walk In Truth Ministries
• Williamston Theatre
• Willow Tree Family Center Inc.
• Women's Center of Greater Lansing
• Women's Opportunity House

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About LEAP
The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) is a coalition of area leaders partnering to build a stronger community for all—working every day to grow, retain and attract business to the Lansing, Michigan, region.