If you have an idea to improve your community, you could receive up to $15,000 in funding from the Urban League of West Michigan.
The Opportunity Empowered program is a partnership between the the Urban League of West Michiganand Heart of West Michigan United Way. It hopes to turn residents’ grassroots ideas into reality.
“It’s about community they can be things that are running out of people’s basements, back yards, churches, anything that’s at a level of wanting enhancement and needing enhancement to power the community as a whole," Program Manager Dawn Kaletnberg VanHorn said.
Competitors’ ideas will be divided into three categories: Small Business/ or Start Up, Next Gen Leaders and Community Enhancement. The Opportunity Empowered team will narrow the competition down to 20 finalists, and during a public event, the community will have power to vote on each idea.
“It gives the community the voice. In regular philanthropy, someone will fill out a grant application, and it’s basically a room of individual that decides," Kaltenberg VanHorn said. "Having community members listen to what community members think is important [or] are already working on, community members can say 'yeah we need that down our street.'”
Kaltenber VahHorn says her team is still fundraising, and number of dollars raised will impact the number of competitors the group is able to award. Last years’ pilot program saw 10 winners with a total of $130,000 in funding.
Applications are open now, with small business/start up pitches being awarded in June, Next Gen Leader ideas in September and Community Enhancement Projects in December.
More information about Opportunity Empowered can be found here.
