The Home Depot Foundation's Board of Directors Announces Recipients of Its 2010 First Cycle of Grants; Grants to Support the Building of 1,686 Healthy, Affordable Homes, 31 Playgrounds and 48 Acres of Urban Landscaping

ATLANTA, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Home Depot® Foundation's Board of Directors today announced 10 first cycle grants totaling $3.7 million to build healthy, affordable homes for working families, create safe community playspaces for children, and assist cities in their efforts to develop sustainable communities.  The grants will go to national and local community nonprofit organizations, from the National League of Cities to the Cleveland Housing Network, and will support the building of 1,686 healthy, affordable homes for low- to moderate-income families, 31 playgrounds and the landscaping of 48 acres in urban areas.

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The grants awarded today are part of The Home Depot Foundation's 10-year pledge to provide $400 million in grants to build or refurbish 100,000 affordable, healthy homes and plant or restore 3 million community trees.  Since the pledge was made in 2007, the Foundation has--through the end of 2009--invested $163 million (cash and in kind) in local communities, built or preserved 64,000 homes and planted 732,000 trees.  

"Creating healthy, sustainable communities is the cornerstone of our mission," said Kelly Caffarelli, president, The Home Depot Foundation.  "The organizations we are partnering with and funding through these grants are focused on that same goal through a variety of specific, measurable initiatives, from building and refurbishing homes and playgrounds to developing land use and building management protocols for cities.  Thousands of families and children will benefit from the work these nonprofits are doing, as they will enjoy healthier lives and affordable monthly expenses."  

Mercy Housing Lakefront in Chicago, a recipient of one of the Foundation's regional affordable housing grants, will use its funding to preserve 560 units of affordable housing for more than 1,200 people who were either homeless or at-risk of homelessness.  These clients also have a variety of respiratory health conditions such as asthma and severe allergies.

"We are honored that The Home Depot Foundation recognizes the hard work we are doing to get people back on their feet by providing them with safe, affordable housing, which is a necessity for building a successful life," said Cindy Holler, president, Mercy Housing Lakefront.  "The fact that the Foundation understands that affordable housing should also be healthy is extremely important, and their support allows us to upgrade these units with low or zero emissions materials and appliances to improve the indoor air quality for residents."

Today's announcement of grants is in addition to the $6.5 million in funding already distributed by The Home Depot Foundation in 2010. The Home Depot Foundation also has major partnerships with several key national organizations including Habitat for Humanity International, Enterprise Community Partners, U.S. Green Building Council, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the National Alliance for Community Trees.  For more information on those partnerships, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org.

Grants Summary

National Grants

Gifts in Kind International (GIKI), $650,000:  Funding will be used to enhance and expand Framing Hope, which is The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation's product donation program.  Through Framing Hope, which is managed by GIKI, community nonprofit organizations are partnered with local Home Depot stores to receive discontinued or unsold merchandise to use to improve local homes.  

KaBOOM!, $2,050,000:  Funding will be used to build 31 environmentally-friendly playgrounds across the country, with at least 12 of those playgrounds to be built near affordable housing communities.  Through this grant, more than 6,000 community volunteers will be engaged to create safe gathering places in their neighborhoods.

National League of Cities (NLC), $500,000: Grant will be used over a three-year period to fund specific sustainability resources and services for cities and towns, including best practices and tools regarding land use planning, building management, energy use, materials management and water conservation.  Many of the resources developed will be available on www.sustainablecitiesinstitute.org, which has been developed by The Home Depot Foundation.  The Foundation is NLC's national sustainability partner.

Regional Affordable Housing Grants

Chamberlain Heights Redevelopment LP, Meriden, Connecticut, $50,000:  Funding will be used to landscape Chamberlain Heights, a 22-acre, 36-building affordable housing site that will serve low- to mid-income working families.  The development is being completely renovated to meet the nationally-recognized green building standards of LEED for Homes Silver and Enterprise Green Communities.  

Cleveland Housing Network, Cleveland, Ohio, $75,000:  Funding will be used to support CHN's efforts to build or rehabilitate more than 500 homes to a nationally recognized green building standard, such as Green Communities or LEED for Homes, as well as to train and certify a new Director of Construction as a LEED accredited professional.

Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, Bronx, New York, $75,000:  Grant will be used to fund ground level landscaping and a green roof project in Serviam Gardens, a new 240-unit affordable, independent-living development for seniors over 62 years of age.  

Foundation Communities, Inc., Austin, Texas, $75,000:  Grant will be used to fund green infrastructure landscaping and site improvements at M Station, Austin's first LEED for Homes affordable housing multi-  family development.  Specific green features funded through the grant include full integration of water quality measures, such as rainwater harvesting, rain gardens and bioswales, into the community's landscape.  

homeWORD, Inc., Missoula, Montana, $75,000:  Grant will be used to implement sustainable features in 34 units of quality, affordable rental housing in Missoula.  Green features will include installation of grid-tied photovoltaic arrays for power generation, restoration of the north bank of the Clark Fork River adjacent to the site, and installation of a gray water reclamation system and a sub-surface drip irrigation system.

Mercy Housing Lakefront, Chicago, Illinois, $75,000:  Grant will be used to preserve 560 units of affordable housing in the Harold Washington Apartments for more than 1,200 people who were homeless or at-risk of homelessness.   These buildings are 50 to 100 years old and will be upgraded using materials, appliances and interior finished products that have low or zero emissions to improve indoor air quality for residents.

Resources for Residents and Communities (RRC), Atlanta, Georgia, $75,000:  Grant will be used to fund specific green components of Reynoldstown Senior Residences, a 78-unit affordable housing community in Atlanta's oldest African American neighborhood.  Green features will include new trees, water conservation plumbing and solar panels among other sustainable building practices.  RRC is seeking Earth Craft certification for this project by following a rigorous set of nationally recognized green building and landscaping guidelines.

About The Home Depot Foundation

Created in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation supports nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating and preserving healthy, affordable homes as the cornerstone of sustainable communities.  The Foundation's goal is for all families to have the opportunity to live in healthy, efficient homes they can afford over the long-term; to have access to safe, vibrant parks and greenspaces; and to receive the economic, social and environmental benefits of living in a sustainable community. Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $190 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of more than 95,000 homes, planted more than 1.2 million trees, and built or refurbished more than 1,875 playgrounds, parks and greenspaces. For more information, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @homedepotfdn.

Grant Contacts:

To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation's grant application process, please visit http://www.homedepotfoundation.org/grants.html.

SOURCE The Home Depot Foundation