FLINT, MI - More money to help mitigate the effects of lead poisoning in children is headed for Flint.
The Kresge Foundation is giving a $2-million grant that will be administered through the Community Foundation to help fight lead poisoning in Flint children and to strengthen health and human services delivery system in Flint, announced the Kresge Foundation's board on Dec. 2.
"This grant will help minimize harm to Flint children, make it easier for Flint families affected by lead poisoning to access the services they require, and build the capacity of local nonprofits providing health and human services," said Dr. Phyllis Meadows, Senior Fellow with Kresge's Health Program. "We expect our contribution will help the community build out the systems that are needed to address some of the long-term issues going forward."
The grant is expected to enable the Community Foundation to expand programming, create more coordinated and strategic effort to prevent and mitigate the effects of lead poisoning in Flint's children and protect the community from future harm.
Nonprofit organizations working to prevent and mitigate the effects of lead poisoning will receive $1.35 million of the grant funds being administered by the Community Foundation. The funds will be deployed through the foundation and the Flint Child Health and Development Fund. The fund is seeking to secure $100 million to aid Flint's children.
Kresge funding also will support enhanced staff capacity at the Community Foundation as well as the design and implementation of an evaluation of its current investments in the community, to ensure that efforts are impacting the health and long-term well-being of Flint residents.
The grant fulfills a commitment made in May by Kresge to give $2.5 million to support a 10-foundation effort to help Flint residents recover from the water crisis.