USA TODAY NETWORK and The Gannett Foundation Announce 2020 National Grant Recipients for “A Community Thrives”

MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), and the Gannett Foundation today announced 16 non-profit organizations that will receive national grants from the company’s A Community Thrives program.

Now in its fourth year, A Community Thrives awards grants to worthy causes in communities across the U.S. to help create positive change. Supported by the Gannett Foundation, the program also enables non-profits to promote their ideas and efforts on a national platform from the USA TODAY NETWORK, inclusive of USA TODAY and Gannett’s hundreds of local media outlets, to drive further support through donations.

After receiving more than 900 submissions from organizations across 45 states, A Community Thrives is awarding $2.3 million in grants: $1 million in National Project Grants and $1.3 million in Local Operating Grants. The program’s crowdfunding effort through MightyCause has raised an additional $3,341,000. A total of $5.6 million will be distributed to these non-profits from the Gannett Foundation and the program’s fundraising efforts combined.

“At Gannett, we take pride in supporting community-building initiatives. Through A Community Thrives, we lend financial support to that purpose and rally communities to champion good and meaningful causes. Congratulations and best wishes to these outstanding grant recipients and their amazing projects,” said Gannett Chairman and CEO Mike Reed.

The Gannett Foundation selected the 2020 national grants recipients based on the proposed projects’ viability, sustainability, community need and community building properties and service to historically marginalized and/or under-resourced groups.

The recipients chosen for the 16 grants are as follows:

BUNKER LABS INC, Chicago, IL — $100,000

Bunker Labs empowers military-connected entrepreneurs to create valuable networks and equip these entrepreneurs with resources & tools necessary to start and grow their businesses. This grant will support the delivery of 50 virtual (or in person if possible) education programs to targeted audiences in 2021.

30,000 Feet, Roseville, MN — $100,000

30,000 Feet will establish a Black Arts Center that will be an arts and social justice tech hub for creative expression for Black children in Saint Paul to open by February 2022.

FOOD RESCUE US INC, Norwalk, CT (Project in Detroit, MI) — $100,000

The grant will fund the expansion of Food Rescue US – Detroit to support the growing number of individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in Detroit and the surrounding communities.

CREIGHTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, Phoenix, AZ — $50,000

Creighton Community Foundation will build vibrant food and culinary communities in east central Phoenix to increase access to nutritious food. This will be accomplished by partnering with a Title I school to build food growing space, refurbish a community food room, operate farmer’s markets, and engage community residents in growing and consuming healthy, local food to produce 250 tons of food for 1,500 hundred families.

UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL OHIO INC, Columbus, OH — $50,000

Funds will support the local Racial Equity Partnership providing racial equity training and learning exchanges to staff, board members, volunteers, and clients of health and human service organizations throughout Franklin County reaching 5000 people.

SOLAR AUSTIN, Austin, TX — $50,000

Solar Austin’s Pathways to Clean Energy Careers program will facilitate avenues for students, particularly women and people of color, to enter Austin’s clean energy sector; Solar Austin will also develop best practices for local clean energy companies to improve diversity and inclusivity in their recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts.

LSU HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION IN SHREVEPORT, Shreveport, LA — $50,000

The Eat Right and Move Program will address proper nutrition and exercise to promote better health outcomes in the Hollywood Heights neighborhood of Shreveport, LA. Outcomes will include: a reduction in obesity level and a decrease in cardiovascular risk factors upon completion of the 6 month exercise program, peer health mentors and policy assessment.

ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS, Asheville, NC — $50,000

GreenWorks plans to reforest the City of Asheville by planting 50,000 trees by 2040 in partnership with businesses, local government, and private citizens. This grant will support shade tree planting, tree give away events targeting redlined, under invested communities and volunteer engagement to support these efforts.

HAVENLY TREATS, New Haven, CT — $50,000

Havenly Treats will establish a series of paid advocacy workshops focused on building organizing capacity, cultivating solidarity across refugee immigrant communities, and advancing knowledge to build the economic and political power for 6 refugee women.

CREATIVE REACTION LAB, St. Louis, MO — $50,000

CDAP’s Creative Reaction Lab will educate and train formerly incarcerated and criminal justice system-impacted Black and Latinx youth to become civic leaders using a unique equity-centered creative problem-solving framework with six apprentices.

WORDS BEATS AND LIFE INC, Washington, DC — $25,000

WBL’s Creative Employment initiative will offer courses in music production, visual/media arts, performing arts, and the humanities to under-represented students with the goal of the participants becoming active participants in the DC /national creative economy.

GARY FOOD COUNCIL INC, Gary, IN — $25,000

GFC will develop the Urban Agriculture Youth Educator and Internship program to train and certify up to 100 children aged 12-17 for the nationally recognized Junior Master Gardener program in Gary. The students will then serve as paid interns on area farms and create distribution events to provide food to 1,500 families.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTH CENTRAL OHIO, Canton, OH — $25,000

Junior Achievement will create a virtual platform called vFairs JA that will showcase the region’s most in-demand jobs to 5,000 -7,000 North Central Ohio 7th – 12th grade students in to increase access to rewarding and successful career pathways.

MESA UNITED WAY INC, Mesa, AZ (Project in Phoenix, AZ) — $25,000

Helen Hope’s, a program of the Mesa United Way, Culver Street project will provide a transitional housing space, a safe, stable environment, for Foster360 program participants who are experiencing homelessness. The grant will support two Culver Street apartments.

HOMELESS CHILDRENS PLAYTIME PROJECT INC, Washington, DC — $25,000

The Playtime Project works towards a long- term goal of increasing resiliency in children experiencing homelessness, thereby helping to break the cycle of chronic family homelessness. The grant will support the expansion of its child centered play program to a short-term family housing site in Ward 8 in Washington, DC and will pilot a program at the Rolark, a family shelter, to serve up to 100 children.

BETTER TOGETHER – FLOURISH NOW, Naples, FL — $25,000

Better Together provides temporary housing and support services to families needing foster care with the end-goal of family re-unification. The program will expand to serve 150 additional children with temporary foster host families and wrap-around support services.

For more information, visit A Community Thrives.

About A Community Thrives

A Community Thrives is a grantmaking and crowd-funding program from the USA TODAY NETWORK and is part of the Gannett Foundation. A Community Thrives supports non-profit organizations with projects focused on community building and, together with consumers, has helped to contribute more than $12 million since 2017.

About USA TODAY NETWORK

USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE:GCI), is the largest local-to-national media organization in the country, powered by our award-winning newsrooms and marketing solutions business. With deep roots in local communities spanning the U.S. with more than 250 local media brands, plus USA TODAY, we engage more than 140 million people every month through a diverse portfolio of multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For more information, visit www.gannett.com.

Contacts

For Media Inquiries:
USA TODAY NETWORK
Hayley Hoefer, 504-339-2425

PR and Corporate Communications Manager

hhoefer@gannett.com