The Kalamazoo County Board took a first step toward creating a fund dedicated to gun violence prevention and intervention.
Commissioner Tami Rey, who chairs the board’s gun violence prevention ad hoc committee, presented a resolution authorizing the county to negotiate a “field of interest fund” agreement with the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, using approximately $200,000 in remaining ARPA dollars. Foundation representatives Alyssa Stewart and Joanna Donnelly Dales explained the distinction between fund types: a field of interest fund would commit the money permanently to a defined purpose, while a donor-advised fund would allow more flexibility but less specificity. Commissioners leaned toward the field of interest structure, with several supporting the addition of an advisory committee made up of commissioners or county staff to help direct grantmaking.
Suggested fund language would support organizations engaged in violence prevention, victim support, crisis response, youth engagement, and trauma-informed community programming, with groups like Gryphon Place, Urban Alliance, Integrated Services of Kalamazoo, and Moms Demand Action cited as examples of potential grant recipients. Foundation staff confirmed members of the public would also be able to contribute to the fund once established. This was a first reading; a final agreement will return to the board for adoption at a future meeting.
