Addressing local and regional issues like poverty, racism, health care access, family stability and education will be easier when a planned clearinghouse of social data about the greater Grand Rapids community is established.
The Grand Rapids Community Foundation and GVSU have joined forces to create the Community Research Institute, which will be housed in the DeVos Center's Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
The foundation has committed $250,000 for start-up costs for the Community Research Institute. Additional amounts could be available in each of the next two years, for a total investment of $750,000. The institute will employ two full-time researchers with expertise in social sciences or community development, associate researchers, faculty consultants, graduate assistants, student interns and clerical support. The staff is expected to be in place by spring.
We need to base our efforts on credible data, said Diana Sieger, foundation president. Businesses take great pains to base their activities on market research. Social data is vital to the entire community. We need to know where there are needs and also to have a way to measure and evaluate the success of what we do.
In addition to driving foundation activities, the institute will be a resource for other organizations and offer recommendations on public policy to government agencies and elected officials.
Donna VanIwaarden, director of the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and director of the institute, said because Grand Valley is primarily a teaching institution, faculty members have limited time to devote to research.
Currently, community organizations have difficulty finding local expertise and solid data on specific issues, she said. This institute will be one-stop shopping for data about our community.
