Community Spotlights: July 2026

Since our founding, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has been guided by our founder’s belief in the ingenuity of those who shape children’s lives and the power of collaborative leadership. This month we celebrate change agents of all ages whose collective wisdom helps build conditions where children, families and communities can thrive. 

• The Haiti Chamber of Commerce hosted “Discover Haiti Day” in Boston to celebrate Haiti in the World Cup as well as local Haitian diaspora community members. 

• Soccer in the Streets worked with local and international partners to arrange for Atlanta youth to serve as player escorts during the Haiti–Morocco match, generating positive visibility for Haitian children and families. 

• The Tennessee Justice Center is working to ensure immigrant children with severe disabilities can keep access to lifesaving medical care they need, an effort featured on the PBS NewsHour.  

• National Skills Coalition’s A New Promise of Work initiative brings together workers, students, businesses and policymakers. This new video tells the story of Advisory Council member Jacob Hannah.  

• In a new essay in Ms. magazine, A Better Balance’s President Inimai Chettiar makes the case that women cannot be equal citizens in our democracy without a national paid leave policy.  

• HealthConnect One’s doula pop-up lounges in Rochester, New York, connect expectant mothers with doulas. Spectrum News featured the initiative. 

Mexico 

• A new ECOSUR report links the growing use of pesticides in commercial agriculture to an alarming decline in bee colonies in the Yucatán. The region has traditionally used sustainable methods to protect crops. 

• A new video from Bean Voyage tells the moving story of Lucía Gómez Jirón, a coffee producer from Chiapas, Mexico, and a leader in the global women coffee growers’ movement. 

Michigan 

• Rx Kids expanded to four Calhoun County communities and Grand Rapids’ 49507 ZIP code, offering eligible families $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 monthly for six months after birth. This will assist more than 1,400 families annually. In Flint, the program helped cut neonatal deaths by nearly 50% in 2025. 

• Detroit Public Schools’ Health Hubs connect families with housing, food, healthcare and other services. This is reducing chronic absenteeism while serving families more than 19,000 times since 2023. 

• Henry Ford Health’s Heart Healthy Moms Program in Detroit helps mothers manage high blood pressure, reducing postpartum risks through education, monitoring and follow-up care to prevent serious heart complications. 

• Battle Creek Public Schools raised its graduation rate to 84%, driven by wraparound support and the Bearcat Advantage scholarship. Black male graduation rates climbed from 64% to 92% in five years. 

• Northern Initiatives was named the SBA’s Microlender of the Year after providing 22 microloans in 2025, continuing decades of financing underserved Michigan entrepreneurs and small businesses. 

• Battle Creek’s First Home, First Teacher initiative offers free housing to early childhood educators, while Grand Rapids opened a transit-based childcare center to expand access and strengthen Michigan’s early childhood workforce. 

• Battle Creek broke ground on the $30 million Riverbend at Capital development, transforming a former Kmart site into 80 apartments with an on-site childcare center and community space. 

• Grand Valley State University’s Black Men and Boys Symposium drew more than 500 attendees to Battle Creek, sharing strategies to improve educational, health and career outcomes for Black men and boys. 

Mississippi  

• Mississippi Today reporter Allen Siegler received the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Community Champion Award for his investigation into Mississippi’s opioid settlement spending. 

• Boat People SOS and Singing River Health System were featured for expanding Vietnamese language access, helping immigrant families navigate healthcare and improving access to culturally responsive care. 

New Mexico 

• New Mexico sees reduction in childhood poverty and improvements in child well-being. 

• New Mexico Voices for Children released the New Mexico Children’s Roadmap, a new report recommending steps and strategies to improve outcomes for children and families.  

New Orleans 

• Verite News reporter Bobbi-Jeane Misick was selected for the 2026-27 New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship to continue reporting on Louisiana’s immigrant communities.  

• Agenda for Children released Louisiana’s 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, highlighting education gains while underscoring persistent challenges in child well-being and economic security.  

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