Grant Partners News
Foundations give $2.5 million to improve early childhood education facilities in Detroit
The Kresge Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and PNC Foundation Wednesday morning announced $2.5 million in joint grants to support improvements in early childhood education facilities in Detroit neighborhoods. The announcement came during the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference as part of an opening session hosted by Kresge on the need to align early childhood and K-12 systems to help children succeed in school.…
Education program brings students, teachers to ‘Hamilton’
The powerful musical presence of “Hamilton” will bring history to life for 3,900 high school students and teachers this month through an innovative educational program and foundation subsidies. Attendees from 59 area high schools who have spent the past several weeks learning about Alexander Hamilton and the nation’s Founding Fathers, through a special integrated curriculum, will see a matinee performance of “Hamilton” for $10…
How poetry can help kids get to college
Where can poetry take our students? In a word: everywhere. Poetry takes students to college. To the White House and the stage of the renowned Kennedy Center. And deep into their own imaginations where it builds critical thinking skills, bolsters academic achievement and creates connections. InsideOut Literary Arts, the Detroit-based nonprofit I head, has been teaching poetry in Detroit-area schools for nearly 25 years,…
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit Makes the Case for Sending Your Child to a Summer Theater Camp
“There’s a common misconception that Mosaic only runs through the school year,” says the organization’s associate artistic director, DeLashea Strawder, the Mosaic alum who in September will become only the second artistic director in the world-acclaimed theater’s 27-year history. She will succeed founder Rick Sperling. “We have programming year-round, even when we are not staging productions. As a creative youth development organization, we’re always…
Detroit Parent Network and Education Trust Midwest Join Forces to Equip Parents on Third-Grade Reading Theater Camp
Detroit Parent Network and The Education Trust-Midwest have announced a partnership designed to help prepare and equip Detroit area parents for Michigan’s ‘Read by Grade Three’ law. By the end of summer 2019, co-developed toolkits for parents and families will be publicly available as a result of this collaboration. Designed to help parents ensure that the needs of their students are being met, the toolkits will…
Sweet Dreamzzz will Bring Early Childhood Sleep Education Program™ to Brightmoor Childhood Quality Initiative
Hundreds of families in Detroit's Brightmoor district will soon have the awareness and materials they need to help their children get a good night's sleep. Local non-profit Sweet Dreamzzz®, Inc. will be partnering with the Brightmoor Childhood Quality Initiative (BQI) to help preschoolers follow a bedtime routine and get the sleep they need for good health and school success. With grant funding from the…
Detroit company Rebel Nell working to empower women through jewelry (video)
The goal of Detroit company Rebel Nell is to help women transition from a life of dependence to one of self-reliance. Nechelle Thompson is a mother who can now provide a home for her daughter because of Rebel Nell. "Finally gain control of my life, my health and my well-being," Thompson said. Thompson had been homeless until her caseworker told her about Rebel Nell. After going on three…
Early literacy supporters look to get on same page as 3rd-grade requirement looms
Groups working to boost early literacy rates in Detroit are looking to get on the same page as a new state requirement nears for third-graders to read at grade level or be held back. Skillman Foundation, Kresge Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and 313Reads — the Detroit brand for the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading, which is led by United Way for Southeastern Michigan…
Social Finance Israel launches bond to boost education for Arab-Israeli bedouin
Social Finance Israel has developed a social impact bond initiative to improve math and Hebrew language performance for high school students from Israel’s bedouin community. The financial intermediary is looking to raise $4.1 million for a six-year program. It has secured 40% of the funding, mostly from an Israeli bank. The historically nomadic Arab-Israeli bedouin community has been settling in and around cities over the past…
Ridgway White: Invest in early education to change the trajectory of children, families
A new Michigan State University study should be a wake-up call for anyone concerned about the future of our children — and our state. It shows that Michigan ranked dead last among all 50 states for improvement in fourth-grade math and reading proficiency between 2003 and 2015. This is a dire warning. We already knew Michigan ranked in the bottom third of states for…
