Hope after heartache: The Flint water crisis 10 years on

By Ridgway White

It’s been 10 years since the source of Flint’s water was changed without adequate treatment, causing a population-wide exposure to lead in drinking water that deeply impacted the city and its residents.

After Dr. Mona Hannah-Attisha’s research revealed a shocking increase in children’s blood lead levels, the Mott Foundation acted quickly to grant $4 million to help the city of Flint reconnect to the Detroit water system. And our staff began speaking with local, state and national experts to learn more about what the community’s greatest needs were likely to be and what role we could play in helping to address them.

On May 11, 2016, the Mott Foundation announced we would commit up to $100 million in grants over a five-year period specifically aimed at helping the city of Flint recover and rise from the water crisis. While we fulfilled that commitment ahead of schedule in June 2020, we continued to make related grants throughout the five-year period. By May 11, 2021, we had granted a total of $116.7 million.

Today, we continue to focus more than half of the Foundation’s annual grantmaking budget on helping our home community address challenges and embrace opportunities. In 2023 alone, that figure totaled more than $80 million.

Yet, a decade after the Flint water crisis began, the community still grapples with related issues. For example:

• The city of Flint is working to replace the last of the lead service lines it has been granted access to, and it continues to reach out to residents who have not yet responded or granted access.
• Residents are paying some of the highest water rates in the nation among communities of comparable size.
• And experts still advise that people in the city should not drink unfiltered tap water until lead service line replacement is completed.

In this context, it’s inspiring to see how many local philanthropies, nonprofit organizations, volunteers, activists and community leaders have been working together to help improve quality of life for all Flint residents. A longstanding spirit of community collaboration was strengthened during the water crisis, persisted through the pandemic and endures today.

To that end, there are reasons for hope. First, and most important, are Flint residents. They want better for their city, and they’re willing to fight for it — even though they shouldn’t have to.

Some of the other bright spots that give me hope — and that the Mott Foundation has been pleased to help support — include:

• Rx Kids, a unique citywide initiative directly investing in kids and families to help eliminate child poverty.
• The expansion of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine’s public health presence in Flint. MSU’s work in Flint is a wonderful example of what can happen when physicians, researchers, residents and community advocates work together to improve health.
• The McKenzie Patrice Croom Flint Community Lab, which aims to restore community trust by working with residents and providing independent analysis of their tap water.
• The Genesee Health System’s Center for Children’s Integrated Services, which brings together physical and behavioral health care in one place to better support children and families.
• The Flint Center for Educational Excellence, which is coordinating six initiatives to help Flint kids thrive.
• The construction that’s underway on a new YMCA and a renovated Berston Field House, which will give residents of all ages safe and welcoming places to gather, play and get healthy.
• Three Help Centers that were established during the water crisis and continue to operate today, helping residents access vital resources.

When we launched our Focus on Flint initiative in 2019, it provided additional ways for us to hear from residents about their concerns and priorities for the community. We’ve continued to seek input through community conversations and annual surveys. We hope to convene more of those conversations this year, so please look for opportunities to share your input with us. What do you think are the most urgent priorities facing our community? What can we celebrate?

Nearly 100 years after the Mott Foundation was established in Flint, we remain steadfast in our mission to help promote a more just, equitable and sustainable society. And nowhere is that more important than in our hometown. We look forward to our continued work with the funding partners, nonprofit organizations and people who make this community great.