Ann Arbor Awards $17,500 to Community Projects through Sustaining Ann Arbor Together Grants
Two community projects have been selected to receive funding through the Sustaining Ann Arbor Together (SA2T) grant program, totaling $17,500. The SA2T grant program helps local community groups develop, resource, and complete small-scale projects supporting sustainability in Ann Arbor. Current awardees include:
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SunBundle | $7,500 to support the distribution of 1,000 pairs of refurbished athletic footwear and more than 500 athletic and wellness care bundlers to youth in under-resourced communities.
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Ann Arbor Joy Ride | $10,000 to support the purchase of a specialized e-bike designed to give older adults and people with limited mobility the opportunity to experience the joy of cycling with the help of volunteer “pilots”.
Speaking on the impact of this grant, Corey Royster, Vice President of Operations for SunBundle, said, “Passing those shoes off to people who are really grateful and seeing [the] looks on their faces when we give them 20 or so pairs of shoes for…their track team for people who may not have the money or resources to buy spikes—it’s really one of the greatest things to see.”
The Ann Arbor Joy Ride initiative is launching a local chapter of a global movement called Cycling Without Age, captured in an award-winning short film of the same name which will be shown at the Bicycle Film Festival at Michigan Theater on April 18th.
The SA2T program has $100,000 available annually, which is distributed in awards of $10,000 or less. Potential projects are evaluated based on merit and alignment with Ann Arbor’s goals laid out in the Sustainability Framework and A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan.
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Media Contact:
Dr. Missy Stults, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Innovations, mstults@a2gov.org