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Nissan Foundation Supports Diversity with Substantial Grants

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Twenty-nine non-profits in the U.S. have won more than $700,000 in grants from the Nissan Foundation.

According to Nissan, the chosen 29 non-profits “work to further cultural awareness and understanding.” The organizations hail from the New York and Atlanta metro areas, Southeastern Michigan, Middle Tennessee, Central Mississippi, North Central Texas, and Southern California.

The Nissan Foundation was created 25 years ago “in response to the civil unrest that occurred near Nissan’s then U.S. sales and marketing headquarters in Southern California following the Rodney King trial verdict.”

Since the foundation’s inception, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been distributed yearly to groups and organizations that celebrate and promote “cultural diversity through arts, education and social and public programs,” according to Nissan.

“I am honored to announce the Nissan Foundation’s 2017 grant recipients, all of which are committed to a world where racial, ethnic and cultural diversity is genuinely valued,” said Becker, who also is senior vice president of Administration for Nissan North America, Inc.

After reviewing 34 proposals, the Nissan Foundation selected the following organizations to receive this year’s grants:

New York

  • Brooklyn Historical Society: “Muslims in Brooklyn” ($15,000)
  • Japan Society: “Japan’s Annual Festivities” ($20,000)
  • Jewish Children’s Museum: “Public School Initiative” ($20,000)
  • Jewish Museum: “Movies that Matter” ($15,000)
  • One to World Inc.: “Expanding One to World’s Understanding Programs” ($25,000)
  • Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding: “Education Resources on Religious and Cultural Diversity” ($30,000)

Georgia

  • Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Atlanta: “Refugee Education and Engagement Project” ($10,000)
  • Fernbank Inc.: “Winter Wonderland: Celebrations and Traditions Around the World” ($10,000)
  • National Center for Civil and Human Rights: “NCCHR Diversity and Multicultural Programming” ($25,000)

Michigan

  • The Community House: “Race Relations and Diversity Task Force” ($15,000)
  • U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Inc.: “Neighbor to Neighbor Project” ($25,000)

Tennessee

  • Children’s Museum Corporation of Rutherford County: “Kids First – Cultural Initiatives” ($55,000)
  • 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” ($30,000)
  • Nashville Public Television: “Next Door Neighbors” ($75,000)
  • Native American Indian Association of Tennessee: “Enhancing diversity in elementary, middle and high school students and teachers” ($10,000)
  • Oasis Center: “Building Bridges,” ($50,000)
  • STARS Nashville: “Understanding Bullying Prevention Through the Lens of Cultural Competence” ($15,000)
  • Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition: “Welcoming Tennessee Initiative” ($30,000)

Mississippi

  • Jobs for Mississippi Graduates: “Diversity: Fostering Mutual Respect in our Global Market” ($50,000)
  • Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center: “Those Who Stayed: African Americans in the Mississippi South” ($20,000)
  • William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation: “underSTAND” ($20,000)

Texas

  • International Museum of Cultures: “One Museum-Many Cultures-New Horizons” ($30,000)
  • National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum: “Cultural Heritage Youth Workshops and School Assembly Project” ($25,000)

California

  • Autry National Center of the American West: “Voices of America” ($15,000)
  • Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum: “CCMM-in-Schools” ($10,000)
  • Japanese American National Museum: “School Visits and Public Programs” ($20,000)
  • San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum: “Roots Series” ($10,000)
  • San Diego Museum of Man: “Making San Diego Safe for Human Differences” ($10,000)

“Our mission is to support local organizations offering educational programs that foster greater understanding and respect among the groups of people who live within that community,” said Nissan Foundation Executive Director Vicki Smith.

According to Nissan, acceptance of Intent Letters from 2018 grant applicants by the Nissan Foundation will begin in October 2017.

Since 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the foundation, a new logo has been created. The logo of connected geometric patterns “represent inclusion and movement,” to create a “unified whole” while the “many colors represent the celebration of cultural diversity inherent in the foundation’s mission,” said Nissan.

News Source: Nissan