The Nissan Foundation today announced its board of directors has awarded $700,000 in grants to nonprofits in seven states to support innovative programs that break down societal barriers and build inclusive communities through education and outreach. The Nissan Foundation has awarded more than $9.3 million to date.
The grants will fund 27 projects, including Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, a drop-out prevention program, which helps support job attainment, job survival, leadership development, life survival skills, economic empowerment and cultural diversity; the Oasis Center “Building Bridges” program, which serves 300 Nashville youths annually with anti-discrimination/anti-violence programming at schools; and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants “Neighbor-to-Neighbor Project,” which provides school programs, employer training and workshops on social services for Iraqi immigrants in Detroit.
“The organizations and projects selected for 2016 represent those who provide culturally diverse and relevant programs in communities where Nissan operates,” said Scott Becker, president of the Nissan Foundation. “The Nissan Foundation is proud to support their missions to enrich people’s lives and open doors to new ways of understanding our neighbors and the world we live in.”
The Nissan Foundation was founded in 1992 after three weeks of violent civil unrest occurred near the headquarters for Nissan’s U.S. sales operations then in Southern California. The Foundation was created as a thoughtful response to a societal need that still affects communities today – supporting local organizations that promote the value of cultural diversity in American society and foster greater social and racial equality.
Diversity has remained a core value of Nissan. Thirty-eight percent of Nissan’s U.S. customers are ethnically diverse, the highest among major automakers in the U.S.
This year, the Foundation reviewed 33 proposals from nonprofits located in Southern California, North Central Texas, Middle Tennessee, Central Mississippi, Eastern Michigan, and the New York and Atlanta metro areas. Grant recipients promote cultural diversity across a variety of arts, education, social and public programs.
2016 Grant Recipients
California
- Autry National Center of the American West, “Voices of Native America” – $15,000
- Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum, “CCMM-in-Schools” – $10,000
- Japanese American National Museum, “School Visits Program” – $15,000
- Los Angeles Opera, “Voices for Tolerance” – $10,000
- San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, “Escondido Roots Series” – $20,000
Georgia
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, “Refugee Education and Engagement Project” – $10,000
- Fernbank Museum of Natural History, “Winder Wonderland: Celebrations and Traditions Around the World” – $10,000
- National Center for Civil and Human Rights, “NCCHR Diversity and Multicultural Program” – $20,000
Michigan
- The Community House, “Race Relations and Diversity Task Force” & “21st Century Leaders Program Scholarships” – $25,000
- U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Inc. – Detroit Field Office, “Neighbor-to-Neighbor Project” – $25,000
Mississippi
- Jackson 2000 Inc., “Community Dialogue on Race” – $25,000
- Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, “Our Global Society: We Are All In It Together” – $50,000
- Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, “Sit In for Change: Jackson Woolworth 1963” – $20,000
New York
- Brooklyn Historical Society, “Voices of Crown Heights” – $15,000
- Japan Society, “Japan’s Annual Festivities” – $20,000
- Jewish Children’s Museum, “Public School Initiative” – $20,000
- One to World Inc., “Global Classroom and Enrichment Program” – $25,000
- Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, “Combating Extremism” – $30,000
Tennessee
- Children’s Museum Corporation of Rutherford County, “Kids First” – $55,000
- Frist Center for the Visual Arts, “Seeing Beyond Borders: Exploring Asian Cultures and Traditions” – $25,000
- Global Education Center, “Passport to Understanding” – $25,000
- Nashville Public Library Foundation, “Civil Rights and a Civil Society: Civil Rights Training for Nashville Enforcement Agencies and Beyond” – $25,000
- Nashville Public Television, “Next Door Neighbors 2016-2017” – $70,000
- Oasis Center, “Building Bridges” – $50,000
- Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, “Welcoming Tennessee Initiative” – $30,000
Texas
- International Museum of Cultures, “Cultural Diversity Seminar” – $30,000
- National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, “Cultural Heritage Youth Workshops” & “School Assembly Project” – $25,000
