LEO awards over $1.5 Million to Genesee Health Plan to expand Medicaid enrollment

MI Impact Grant supports nonprofits to help more Michiganders make ends meet

Flint, Mich.—Today, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) announced over $1.5 million of the $15 million MI Impact Grant program was awarded to Genesee Health Plan (GHP). The grant, made available to Michigan’s large nonprofits who provide programming to lift people out of poverty, will allow the nonprofit to assist the public in enrolling in Medicaid and other state assistance programs.  

“No one should have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table for their families,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “The MI Impact Grant will provide several of Michigan’s largest nonprofits with the resources they need to continue making a meaningful and tangible impact in their communities. We remain committed to uplifting individuals living in poverty and ensure every Michigander has access to the support they need to ‘make it’ in Michigan.”

GHP was among 10 nonprofits are receiving one-time grant funds of up to $2 million to create or expand programming that lifts Michiganders out of poverty. The grant program prioritized partnerships with larger nonprofits that share the state’s commitment to providing services that help lift Michigan residents out of poverty and above the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold. 

“LEO is excited to announce the recipients of the MI Impact Grant,” said Susan Corbin, director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. “These funds will allow 10 large nonprofits to uplift the communities they serve and strengthen Michigan’s nonprofit ecosystem. We are proud to deliver on our mission to close equity gaps and remove barriers to economic prosperity.” 

GHP takes a proactive approach to health care by providing preventive health care coverage for services including doctor visits, cancer screenings, prescription drugs, outpatient mental health services and more. The nonprofit focuses on serving ethnic and minority populations, seniors, those with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals re-entering the community and the uninsured and under insured. With the MI Impact Grant, GHP will focus on the expansion of Community Health Workers who will allow them to be mobile and embedded in the community to assist with enrolling Genesee County residents in Medicaid and other state assistance programs and troubleshoot denials and other barriers. 

“Genesee Health Plan is grateful to be one of the recipients of the MI Impact Grant,” said Jim Milanowski, GHP president and CEO. “These funds will allow us to strengthen and expand our programs and services, further impacting the work we’ve done in the Flint and Genesee County community over the last 22 years. We will be able to help more Genesee County residents with enrollment into state assistance programs, health coverage and a variety of community resources while identifying, reducing, and removing barriers residents are currently facing.”  

The MI Impact Grant program, aimed at addressing disparities that affect Michiganders’ abilities to afford necessities such as housing, child care, food, health care and transportation, plans to lift 100,000 families out of working poverty during the next five years.  

The funding is supported through the American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) with a goal to build a strong, resilient and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity. $50 million in funding is being provided to support nonprofits who have been negatively impacted due to the pandemic. The funding will be distributed through two separate programs, with a $35 million relief fund made available to smaller nonprofits earlier this year. Nonprofits were eligible to receive either the MI Nonprofit Relief Fund or the MI Impact Grant, not both.   

The grant program also supports the recommendations of the Michigan Poverty Task Force, whose goal is to address the disparities that affect Michiganders’ abilities to afford necessities. To learn more about their work and view a full list of grant awardees, visit the Michigan Poverty Task Force’s nonprofit webpage.