Mott Foundation invests $4M in Flint afterschool programs

Today, efforts to help Flint, Mich.-area youth succeed in—and beyond—the classroom received a significant boost from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which has announced nearly $4 million in funding for afterschool and youth employment programs in the area.

"We want to see every young person in Flint and Genesee County succeed in school, work and life," said Ridgway White, president of the C.S. Mott Foundation. "We believe high-quality afterschool and job-training programs are essential to helping students achieve that success, which in turn helps to build the strength and stability of the community as a whole."

The grants include $3.1 million for YouthQuest, a comprehensive afterschool program that provides educational and enrichment opportunities to more than 2,000 students enrolled in grades K-12, and $825,000 for the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI),  which places young people in jobs with area businesses and nonprofit organizations, and TeenQuest, a youth leadership and pre-employment training program.

More than decade of research demonstrates that participating in high-quality afterschool programs boosts academic performance, school attendance and graduation rates, while also supporting the development of problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. With so many known benefits of afterschool, demand is higher than ever—but access remains a problem. For every student enrolled in an afterschool program, two more are waiting to get in. The Mott Foundation is helping make a dent in this need. Yet to give every student access to these valuable opportunities will take investment at every level, public and private, from local to state to national, it's critical that others follow the C.S. Mott Foundations example and come together to support afterschool.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, established in 1926 in Flint, Michigan, by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. The Foundation is a stalwart supporter of afterschool and community schools, having led the way in establishing the Afterschool Alliance in 2000 and continually "working to advance research-based, sustainable, community-driven learning opportunities that support both academic achievement and positive youth development."