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- The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation has launched a grant program with an initial $500,000 investment to help nonprofits serving Salt Lake City's west side.
- The four initial grant recipients have already been named: NeighborWorks, University Neighborhood Partners, Comunidad Materna and Pacific Heritage Academy.
- Creation of the program comes as development pressures mount in the west side.
SALT LAKE CITY — One of the state's leading charitable foundations is putting up $500,000 to aid Salt Lake City's distinctive west side as development pressure in the zone mounts.
The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation has created the Westside Community Grant program with an initial investment of $500,000 to aid nonprofit groups working on the west side, the area roughly west of the north-south I-15 corridor. Four organizations have already been named as the first grant recipients — NeighborWorks, University Neighborhood Partners, Comunidad Materna and the Pacific Heritage Academy.
Don Stirling, executive director of the Miller Family Foundation, noted that the west side — a diverse, working-class neighborhood — "holds a special place" in the hearts of the Miller family and foundation officials. "We are grateful to work closely with community leaders, neighbors and key stakeholders and aim to be a catalyst for sustainable opportunities, ensuring that the west side continues to flourish as a vibrant and inclusive part of Salt Lake City," Stirling said in a statement late last week announcing the initiative.
As with many areas along the Wasatch Front, the west side has seen increasing forays by developers building apartment buildings and other high-density housing developments. This has prompted outcries from some neighborhood advocates who worry about displacement of the current crop of homeowners and residents and the specter of gentrification. As described by the Miller Family Foundation, though, the new effort seems aimed at preserving the distinctive character of the west side and aiding those who live there.
"I grew up in the Marmalade District, went to West High School and had many friends from Rose Park and Glendale who were very proud of their communities and what they built," said Gail Miller, chairwoman of the foundation and co-founder of the Larry H. Miller Company, the business entity behind the nonprofit group. "It makes me proud to be able to continue to partner with them on future opportunities in these neighborhoods."
The Larry H. Miller Company is simultaneously involved in potential redevelopment of the west side area. Company reps announced plans last February to invest at least $3.5 billion in the years to come in the possible development of a 100-acre swath in the neighborhood. The plans potentially involve construction of a Major League Baseball stadium should a team come to Utah.
At any rate, Steve Starks, chief executive officer of the Larry H. Miller Company, said the entity's mission is to help local Utah communities. The Westside Community Grant initiative "allows us to carry out that mission in a meaningful way that has the potential to impact generations of families. We hope this new initiative will help foster continued growth and development on the west side of Salt Lake City," he said.
The new grant program is meant to aid nonprofit groups that offer services in health, housing and food security, education, economic self-reliance and cultural enrichment. "These focus areas reflect the key social determinants of health and are essential to the foundation's mission to enrich lives and strengthen communities," reads the press release announcing the initiative.
Separate from the grant program, the foundation has contributed more than $3 million this year to a range of other nonprofit groups that work in the west side.
