Jannus/Refugee Speakers Bureau: Community Building through Story – $30,000
Jannus will bring The Moth storytelling program to Boise for a community event to leverage the power of storytelling to build community, hire a coordinator to continue the development of cultural events and partnerships and to expand the Refugee Speakers Bureau to advance understanding between the refugee and non-refugee communities.
Friends of MK Nature Center: Re-signage of the MK Nature Center – $25,000
An integrated upgrade of the signage at the MK Nature Center utilizing color, design and texture for multi-sensory learning. Uniform, lively and accessible signage will provide educational support for the hundreds of annual school tours, and will engage the thousands of individuals and families who visit the Nature Center annually.
Greenspeed Research: Renewable Energy Innovation Hub – $30,000 over two years
Greenspeed will expand the use of its modern manufacturing STEM facility focused on renewable energy development as a community innovation hub. It will provide support, equipment and mentorship for high school and college teachers/students and small start-ups to pursue their own research projects.
Interfaith Sanctuary: Work Program – $30,000
Work program funding will cover transportation, nutrition and case management costs for the expansion of the shelter’s work program with Boise Parks & Recreation adding two new crews of shelter participants and to support a new partnership with Boise State University to help prepare our guests for getting back to work.
Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest: Increased Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Methods for Underserved Women – $30,000
This program will make long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs) accessible for uninsured, underinsured, and low-income area women to prevent unplanned pregnancy which disproportionately affects low-income women and is a major cause of income disparities.
United Way of Treasure Valley/Sacajawea Community School: Extended Kindergarten – $28,600
Grant funds will extend half-day Kindergarten to a full-day to improve early learning/numeracy/literacy in the lowest achieving learners at Caldwell’s Sacajawea Elementary School. A pilot project in 2014 improved the number of students reaching benchmark from 23% at the beginning to 89% upon conclusion.