Local nonprofits invited to apply for Gannett Foundation grant program

Organizations and nonprofits in Memphis and throughout the nation were impacted by the pandemic, limiting the services they were able to provide. Organizations struggled to keep up with the demand, and many people began to quit their jobs, part of what has been labeled the Great Resignation.

More than two years into the pandemic, groups are starting to recover, but need assistance.to deliver critical services.

Enter the 2022 A Community Thrives program, a $2 million initiative created by the Gannett Foundation. The program will award grants to groups looking to improve their communities. A Community Thrives is a grantmaking and crowdfunding program sponsored by Gannett, the parent company of the USA TODAY Network.

Since the program’s inception in 2017, more than $17 million has been donated through crowdfunding efforts which have been dispersed to more than 500 organizations across the country.

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In an effort that started June 1,  A Community Thrives began accepting applications for organizations looking to bring awareness to a specific project that focuses on community building with an emphasis on impacting historically underserved individuals and groups.

“The program offers not only grants but opportunities for organizations to extend their networks and deepen their donor base by creating connections with our consumers," said Sue Madden, director of the Gannett Foundation. "In addition, participation in the A Community Thrives program can result in national and local media exposure. Year after year, we hear fantastic anecdotes from participants on how the program has accelerated development,” she continued.

Organizations will first raise money by crowdfunding, then they will be eligible for 16 Project Grants up to $100,000: Three $100,000 grants, seven $50,000 grants and six $25,000 grants, according to the A Community Thrives website. 

Other grants include Operating Grants for eligible entrants with community operations in Gannett’s markets, Incentive Grants for groups that raise the most funds and Bonus Challenge Grants for those who wish to compete.

Organizations can apply at this site starting June 1, 2022. The fundraising phase of the program will take place from July 18 – August 12 with recipients being announced on October 5.

In 2021, The Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis received a $10,000 grant from A Community Thrives. The Collaborative, a 40-member group of pastors and other church leaders focused on civic engagement, economic empowerment and criminal justice reform, is working on developing community gardens that can supply neighborhood farmers markets.

The Black Clergy organization was one of three recipients last year of $10,000 grants in Shelby County. The other two were Hope House Day Care Center and the National Foundation for Transplants. Concord Academy, which specializes in teaching students with disabilities or learning differences, received $2,500.

"We want to start community gardens in areas that are food deserts,"  Turner, who is senior pastor of Mississippi Blvd. Christian Church, said in 2021. "And distribute the food through farmers markets and explore the possibility of community-owned grocery stores." He said the concept for the Memphis program is modeled after Baltimore's Black Church Food Insecurity Network program.

Why raise money for local communities

The local stories told by journalists at The Commercial Appeal and other USA TODAY Network newsrooms helped inspire the creation of A Community Thrives. In telling those stories, the journalists hear amazing ideas to improve American communities.

“A Community Thrives further highlights Gannett’s mission to empower communities to thrive by not only telling their stories but also providing support to those who need it most,” said Mike Reed, CEO of Gannett and chairman of the Gannett Foundation. “This initiative organically assists quality organizations that share our desire to improve lives and we are proud to be implementing the program for the sixth year.”

Interfaith Neighbors received a $100,000 grant in 2021 to support the expansion of the Kula Urban Farm in New Jersey that assists the community with a homelessness prevention program and meal programs.

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“Communities are important,” Paul McEvily, executive director of Interfaith Neighbors, told USA TODAY in 2021. “People who reside in that community need to understand and appreciate what makes the community thrive, and a community thrives when everyone in that community is doing well.”

Since the Farm’s inception in 2014, it has become a community gathering place for residents to come and harvest produce for use in their meal preparations, for young people to participate in STEM learning, for people of all ages to participate in community workshops, it states on the organization's donation page in 2021. Their Farm to Table Dinner Series showcases local chefs and brings residents together in a social setting for fellowship and healthy eating.

Interfaith Neighbors planned to "purchase an adjacent vacant parcel of land that will allow us to double our hydroponic growing operations, expand our seasonal farming beds, as well as build a 3-season pavilion structure to host our community workshops and educational program in expanded space," wrote the company on its donation page in 2021.

Mark Russell of The Commercial Appeal contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis nonprofits encouraged to apply for Gannett Foundation grant program