GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The city of Grand Rapids has received $1.5 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for an initiative to support economic equality.
The Neighborhood Economic Connections will provide training and technical support for residents looking for work and leadership opportunities, according to the city. The three-year grant will address employment needs in focused Grand Rapids neighborhoods that are home to about one third of the population and have 48 percent of residents living in poverty.
The program will adapt the city’s current LEAD (Leadership and Employment, Achievement and Direction) program. Neighborhood Connections will organize grassroots efforts in Baxter, Eastern-Burton, Garfield Park, Madison Avenue, Southeast Community and Southeast End neighborhoods.
