Seeds of Promise: Supporting Resident-led Community Change

Seeds of Promise is a community improvement hub located in the Southtown neighborhood in Grand Rapids. They describe themselves as a “bottom-up” organization, rather than being “top-down,” and 75% of their board is made up of community residents. This place-based initiative has worked in the neighborhood since 2014, supporting residents in creating and directing their strategies for community change. The organizational goals include helping neighbors manage their money, find and retain jobs and maintain their housing.

Recently, Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved a $200,000 grant award to Seeds of Promise to support their work and expand their capacity.

The Community Foundation is committed to resourcing grassroots movements and organizations like Seeds of Promise. These strategies support community leaders and community-led solutions to improve the overall quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Eugene Sueing, Community Foundation program director

INVESTING IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Seeds of Promise achieves their goals through resident-led impact teams, such as the housing impact team. This group improves resident access to quality, cost-effective housing and works to maximize owner occupied housing in the community. Due to historical racial inequity, poverty and systemic inequities, many homeowners lack the ability and resource connections to make critical home repairs or address code violations. As a result, many homeowners are forced to give up their homes and move out of Southtown.

One way the housing impact team is making a difference is through the Neighborhood Improvement Plan. In partnership with Northpointe Bank, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, the Seeds of Promise NIP provided nearly $80,000 in grants for existing homeowners to make deferred maintenance repairs in 2021. “Seeds of Promise processed more applications than any other county in Michigan for the NIP, making Seeds of Promise a leader in the whole state of Michigan,” said Ronald Jimmerson, executive director of Seeds of Promise.

COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY-DRIVEN IMPROVEMENT

Seeds of Promise will soon pilot a community giving circle. This giving circle will generate a local source of capital to be reinvested back into the community. This approach supports local residents as they invest in their community development and determine how their money is spent.

The development of these community revitalization programs is critical to the future growth and local economic development. These innovative strategies will help build local equity and wealth creation for residents, the neighborhood and the overall community at large.

Ronald Jimmerson, executive director of Seeds of Promise

The Seeds of Promise resident-led model helps residents improve the overall quality of life in their neighborhood. It also elevates voices of communities of color in systems and neighborhood design. This model directly corresponds with the Community Foundation’s grantmaking strategy from our unrestricted resources. “We believe that people closest to the pain are closest to the solution,” Eugene said. “We aim to invest in projects that are communityled in voice, scope of work and the iterative process for change.”