The C.S. Mott foundation has created an investment process that is informed by the community to support the reinvestment into the community. “It is exciting to witness a process unfold that took deliberate action into making it an accessible channel for input” expresses Asa Zuccaro, Executive Director of the Latinx Technology & Community Center.

“Representation and engagement by having a linguistically accessible process reflects a common conversation held by our community at the Latinx Center, such as Support entrepreneurship and business development services for Latinx community. Throughout the years the Eastside has lost many Latinx owned business due to factors negatively impacting the community.”

The $1,000,000 “Focus on Flint” initiative suggests the importance that Flint neighborhoods hold in the city’s ability to address both economic devastation and unique health crises. 

The following is a summary of voting process as stated by the Mott Foundation.

Here’s how voting works: 

• • Vote for up to 10 projects that you’d like to see happen. 
  • Tell us how you want to divide the $1 million among those projects. 
  • You’ll be able to give up to $250,000 per project. Beginning with the minimum amount required to complete each project, you can add funds in increments of $5,000. 
  • Once you spend $1 million, you can no longer vote for more projects. 
  • For example, you can vote for four projects to get $250,000 each, 10 projects to get $100,000 each, or another combination to reach $1 million. You must spend the full $1 million in order to submit your votes. 
  • Each resident may vote only once. 

“We will look at the top vote-getters, as well as the average dollar amounts they received, to guide us in how much we grant toward each of the top ideas. We will grant a total of $1 million toward at least four ideas.” The Mott Foundation will then award grants to local nonprofit organizations to tackle those projects. 

Vote at focusonflint.org/vote.