USA TODAY NETWORK and Gannett Foundation Announce 2021 “A Community Thrives” National Grant Recipients

The USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), and the Gannett Foundation today announced the 16 non-profit organizations awarded national grants from the company’s A Community Thrives program.

Now in its fifth year, A Community Thrives awards grants to worthy causes and organizations across the United States aiming to improve their communities. Supported by the Gannett Foundation, the program encourages non-profits to promote their ideas and efforts on a national platform leveraging the USA TODAY NETWORK, including USA TODAY and Gannett’s 250 local media brands, to drive further awareness and support through donations.

After receiving nearly 700 submissions from organizations across 45 states and Washington, D.C., A Community Thrives is awarding more than $5.4 million to participating non-profits. The $2.3 million in grants will be allocated as follows: $800,000 in National Project Grants, $1.3 million in Local Operating Grants, and $200,000 in fundraising incentive grants. The program’s crowdfunding effort MightyCause raised an additional $3.1 million.

“The Gannett Foundation has been inspired throughout the submission process, and it’s an honor to support this year’s A Community Thrives recipients in their efforts to create change in their local communities,” said Sue Madden, Director, the Gannett Foundation.

“Gannett’s driving mission is to empower our local communities, and A Community Thrives is key to that pursuit,” said Michael Reed, Gannett Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Congratulations to this year’s impressive recipients. We are excited to see the impact and support these organizations have locally.”

The recipients chosen for the 16 grants are as follows:

• Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority Inc., Brunswick, GA -- $100,000
  
  Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority is focused on helping historically underserved or marginalized persons or groups of Coastal Georgia – a nine-county region of southeast Georgia. The grant will help support the restoration of the First Freedmen’s School.
• Homes For Families, Woodland Hills, CA -- $100,000
  
  Homes For Families empowers veterans and their families with access to affordable and sustainable housing and holistic services that equip veteran families to move toward self-sufficiency and upward mobility. The grant will support the construction of new housing.
• Interfaith Neighbors Inc., Asbury Park, NJ -- $100,000
  
  This non-profit organization addresses the growing problem of homelessness and helps assist those most vulnerable to meet life’s basic necessities. The grant will support the expansion of Kula Urban Farm, a social enterprise providing on-site job training, community and youth educational programs, and free fresh produce for those in need.
• 864Pride, Greenville, SC -- $50,000
  
  This clinical non-profit ensures that members of the LBGTQ+ community have access to medical and mental health care, creates mental health programming and increases affirmative providers through clinical training. The grant will support the development of Amaryllis Counseling’s Trans Peer Support Program.
• CARES of Farmington Hills Inc., Farmington Hills, MI -- $50,000
  
  This non-profit provides support services for individuals and their families who are in need or have limited access to everyday necessities due to insufficient financial resources or family instability. The grant will support the redesign of the food pantry's model to a self-serve grocery style providing clients a more caring and dignified shopping experience.
• Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach Inc., El Paso, TX -- $50,000
  
  This non-profit works to cultivate an environment where children and families of central El Paso’s Rio Grande neighborhood are empowered to move toward a successful future. The grant will support the program's expansion by 10%.
• Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Indianapolis, IN -- $50,000
  
  Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library champions the legacy of Kurt Vonnegut and the principles of free expression and common decency. The grant will expand its free speech programming through the Vonnegut centennial events.
• Ruling Our Experiences Inc. (ROX), Columbus, OH -- $50,000
  
  Ruling Our Experiences (ROX) is a national non-profit leader in programming, research, and educational programs focused on girls. The grant will support the expansion of the program to 500 additional vulnerable girls.
• Tandem Community Birth Center and Postpartum House Inc., Bloomington, IN -- $50,000
  
  Tandem plans to open Bloomington’s first community birth center and postpartum house. The birth center will be focused on providing high touch, low tech care in a comfortable environment. The grant will support the opening of the Tandem Birth Center and Midwifery Clinic in an underserved community.
• Whitney/Strong Inc., Louisville, KY (Implementation in Cincinnati, OH) -- $50,000
  
  Whitney/Strong pursues majority-supported and evidence-based solutions to reduce the number of lives impacted by gun violence through responsible gun ownership. The grant will support the expansion of Whitney/Strong's Save a Life gun education program to 500 Cincinnatians through four events in neighborhoods with high incidence of gun violence.
• Eras Senior Network Inc., Waukesha, WI -- $25,000
  
  This non-profit organization’s mission is to engage and support seniors, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers to lead meaningful lives. This grant will support better access to food and healthcare through the recruitment of 100 new volunteers and 100 new clients.
• Gainesville For All, Live Oak, FL -- $25,000
  
  This group focuses on addressing racial and economic inequities and pushes for systematic change and solutions to help the community achieve its best potential. The grant will support physical plant needs for All's Gainesville Empowerment Zones' Family Learning Center.
• RefugeeConnect, Cincinnati, OH -- $25,000
  
  ​RefugeeConnect’s mission is to connect refugees (people forced to flee their country to escape persecution or war) with resources to rebuild their lives as United States citizens. The grant will support the expansion of a Community Navigation program to serve an additional 50 families.
• South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, Cleveland, OH (Implementation in Midlands, SC) -- $25,000
  
  The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families is a faith-based, non-profit organization with the mission to create stronger families by removing barriers and strengthening relationships between fathers and their families throughout South Carolina. The grant will support the marketing and public education of the center’s Reality Check program that educates young men on the impact of fatherhood.
• St. Paul Youth Services Inc., St. Paul, MN -- $25,000
  
  This organization’s mission is to engage and support Black youth by pioneering practices, creating tools, and sharing resources across the state, the country, and the world. The grant will support YouthPowerMediaMN, an online after-school and summer program that partners with Black youth statewide to bring them into the process of creating solutions to community challenges through digital storytelling.
• Waggies By Maggie & Friends LLC, Wilmington, DE -- $25,000
  
  This organization is a non-profit dog treat company whose mission is to employ persons with intellectual disabilities. The grant will support the opening of another Waggies kitchen to employ 12 additional people.

For more information, visit act.usatoday.com.

About A Community Thrives

A Community Thrives is a grant making and crowdfunding program from the USA TODAY NETWORK. The initiative is part of the Gannett Foundation and supports non-profit organizations with projects focused on community building. Since 2017, the program has helped to distribute more than $17.6 million from donations and grants across the nation.

About The Gannett Foundation

The Gannett Foundation supports communities across the country and invests in community-building initiatives that positively impact the neighborhoods we share. In addition, the Foundation supports the development of diversity in the journalism field, invests in issues important to our employees, and provides opportunities and a national platform for consumers to raise ideas and community solutions to support services for historically underserved groups. We are one community with our consumers, business partners, and employees, building a better tomorrow together.

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 145 million people every month through a diverse portfolio of multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For more information, visit www.gannett.com.

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