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A new nonprofit will address social equity through Grand Rapids' cannabis industry

Cannabis equity graphic featuring a marijuana leaf with arms reaching around it
City of Grand Rapids
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City of Grand Rapids
A new nonprofit will address social equity through Grand Rapids' cannabis industry

Once established, the independent body would help advance social equity city-wide by supporting efforts such as business incubation, entrepreneur training, job and wealth creation strategies, economic incentives, capital, expungement assistance and other efforts designed to increase opportunities for traditionally under-resourced communities.

The Grand Rapids City Commission has approved the creation of a nonprofit to boost social equity outcomes in communities most historically impacted by over-enforcement of cannabis during the War on Drugs.

Once established, the independent body would help advance social equity city-wide by supporting efforts such as business incubation, entrepreneur training, job and wealth creation strategies, economic incentives, capital, expungement assistance and other efforts designed to increase opportunities for traditionally under-resourced communities.

“Forming this nonprofit will help us achieve our goals in the areas in which the City does not have direct regulatory control,” Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said. “It gives us flexibility in the execution and advancement of certain types of initiatives related to advancing equity in the cannabis industry and assisting members of our community that currently do not have access to enter this emerging field.”

The interdepartmental effort includes City representatives from the Department of Law, Office of Equity and Engagement, Planning Department, and Executive Office. Plans for the nonprofit first appeared as part of the City’s Cannabis Social Equity Policy, adopted July 7, 2020 by the City Commission. Formation of the nonprofit was a key part of the policy recommendation supporting the improvement of social equity outcomes in the city as a whole and within Grand Rapids’ new cannabis industry.

While a name for the group has yet to be decided, it is expected that the initial board will have approximately eleven directors, consisting of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and expertise.

Assistant City Attorney Amber Beebe advised the Commission that forming a nonprofit also “shifts many programming and administrative responsibilities away from local government, thus avoiding the need to create a new department or new positions that may not be supported by the City budget. It also has fewer restrictions on the ability to raise revenue and spending and therefore, can provide greater access to potential grants and other funds.”

Beebe added that if carried out correctly, many industries in the city can benefit from the nonprofit’s future programming.

The City hopes to have the nonprofit up and running within the next eighteen months.

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