By Lisa Carolin
Two foundations with Chelsea locations are encouraging people and organizations to apply for grants. That was the purpose of an information session at the Chelsea District Library on Nov. 6.
The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation was established as the result of a merger between Chelsea Community Hospital and Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and is focused on community health in Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge. The CWF began in 2009 with the mission to create a culture in which people make healthier choices.
The Chelsea Community Foundation has awarded more than $1.1million through 100 grants to nonprofit organizations since 1995 with the purpose of supporting and improving the public well-being and quality of life in Chelsea. It is affiliated with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
The CCF’s priorities are addressing community needs, attracting and managing charitable gifts, and using the assets to make grants to address emergency community needs in human services, education, health, culture, civic affairs and more.
“Our priorities are funding sustainable projects, those that improve the quality of life for people in Chelsea, projects that help promote collaboration, and funding things that leverage other resources like matching dollars from both the government and individual donors,” said Katie Brisson, vice president of programming for the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.
The CCF provides grants based on local needs and projects that promise the strongest long-term impact on the region.
“We really value our relationship with the Chelsea community,” said Brisson. “We see Chelsea as a civic-minded community, which you can tell by the number of non-profits, the vibrant library, the Purple Rose Theatre, and an active school system serving youth outside of class time.”
The CCF has provided funding support for Sounds and Sights, the Timber Town playground structure, the Chelsea Depot, the W.A.V.E. and the Chelsea Community Senior Services program. Application dates are Feb. 14 and Aug. 15 for decisions in June and December.
More information can be found here.
All grants from the CWF go through the 5 Healthy Towns Project, which has community coalitions in each of the five locations.
“These coalitions are responsible for assembling a comprehensive wellness plan that has programs we call interventions that address Eat Better, Move More, Avoid Unhealthy Substances and Connecting with Others in Healthy Ways,” said Matt Pegouskie, community investment manager for the CWF.
Since the 5 Healthy Towns project began in 2012, funding for 101 interventions totaling more than $1.4 million have been approved. Thirty-four of those have been in Chelsea, totaling about $315,000.
“We’ve funded things like the Volunteer Chelsea web portal, the Intergenerational Garden at the Chelsea Senior Center, and the Healthy Eating/Label Reading/Grocery store program at Polly’s Country Market,” said Pegouskie.
