Local facility provides $100,000 in grants to seven area nonprofits
Special to The Truth
General Motors recently completed the national grant distribution of its 2023 Community Impact Grants (CIG) Program to its recipients – totaling $3 million in grants to 157 nonprofits across its U.S. manufacturing communities.
In Toledo, Ohio, this meant $100,000 in grants to seven local nonprofits.
The CIG program is one example of how General Motors supports growth in local communities. Through this program, local manufacturing facilities collaborate with GM’s corporate giving arm to identify nonprofits helping address local issues facing their community.
“The generosity of GM and our workforce in this community inspires me every day,” said Tammy Golden, plant executive director at GM Toledo Propulsion Systems.” GM has been in this community for more than 67 years and we see the positive impact these local organizations can have when they have the resources to do so. Whether it’s an investment of time or money, we are committed to serving and growing with the greater Toledo community and all of the communities in which GM employees live and work.”
The 2023 Toledo-area grant recipients include:
- University of Toledo Foundation – University of Toledo College of Engineering will use grant funds to support two initiatives for underrepresented, minority students. The first is a collaboration with Upward Bound to provide 6 weeks of engineering instruction to high school students. The second is a collaboration with Toledo Excel to host a 2-week summer institute to help prepare incoming, URM freshman to enter college.
- NAACP – grant funds will be used to support the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), which is a year-long achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African American high school students. Funds will help to cover expenses for students participating in the NAACP ACT-SO national competition.
- The Nature Conservancy – The Nature Conservancy is part of the Green Ribbon Initiative, a shared vision of public and private organizations, landowners, and individuals working to preserve, enhance, and restore critical natural areas in the Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Grant funds will be used to complete important repairs of stewardship equipment, purchase supplies for volunteer programming, and develop outreach materials that enable community engagement – all creating more safe, inclusive, and accessible places for people to enjoy nature.
- Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments – grant funds will be used to support the Student Watershed Watch, which is an annual environmental science program for teachers and students in grades 5-12. Funds will enable purchase supplies and equipment and cover staff time to support training for teachers, water quality sampling, and a Student Summit, where students can present the data they collected and interact with local environmental professionals.
- Toledo Science Center – Imagination Station – through the support of grant funds, Imagination Station will continue to drive its mobile making and tinkering lab into the most under-resourced areas of our community. Toledo Tinkers broadens access to STEAM programming for youth and parents through Maker Clubs and Tinkering Takeovers where we increase exposure to and excitement about engineering design using a combination of STEAM mentors, tools, and equipment. Project activities advance workplace skills needed to pursue available well-paying careers.
- Learning Club of Toledo – grant funds will be used to support curriculum, classroom supplies and motivational incentives for 6 Core LEARNING CLUB® programs serving approximately 180 students at risk students grades 1-12. LEARNING CLUB® has helped thousands of students achieve academic success since opening in 1992.
- Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio – grant funds will support Empowering Future Leaders (EFL), a new Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio (BBSNWO) program focusing on four primary youth development areas: life skills, leadership development, cultural competence, and career development. EFL is a compilation of programs offered by BBSNWO, which have documented positive outcomes. The funds provided covered program supplies ranging from art, crafts STEM kits, and program supplies that impacted over 140 youths.
Since 2019, GM has granted more than $13 million to nonprofits in its facility communities, and $325,000 to the Toledo region through the Community Impact Grants program.
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which will power everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at https://www.gm.com.