‘Natural spaces’ grant for children of Grand Rapids

Published on 08-06-2018 at 09:00

Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park - Grand Rapids MI Nina Akamu's The American Horse (Leonardo Da Vinci's Horse), 1998 Bronze. Photo: Michael Reed via Flickr

Children in the US city of Grand Rapids will have more opportunities to play, learn and explore thanks to a $1million ‘natural spaces’ grant.

The Michigan state city is to reap the benefits of another initiative from the Wege Foundation, which was established in 1967 to help fund public causes in the community where businessman Peter Melvin Wege was born and raised.

Healthy and safe

Schools in the city will share the three-year Cities Connecting Children to Nature grant, and work with city officials to create more healthy and safe green schoolyards and parks for children to play in. The scheme is about ensuring that city planners make connecting with nature an integral part of their policymaking, including education.

The city itself will contribute $550,000 of its parks and recreation budget towards the scheme. Grand Rapids also benefits from being one of seven cities to receive a $25,000 grant from the National League of Cities and Children & Nature Network.