As part of the Arcus Foundation's Michigan Racial and Economic Justice Initiative, the Program for Research on Black Americans will develop the University of Michigan Knowledge Center (UMKC). The purpose of the UMKC is to assist ten local health and human services organizations funded by Arcus to address various health and social problems facing Kalamazoo County. The Program for Research on Black Americans will convene small skill-based workshops geared toward helping these organizations increase their ability to conduct research projects in order to incorporate findings into their organizational planning process. The Program for Research on Black Americans will also form a think tank that will bring together a group of academicians for the purpose of using data and scholarly writing to address community concerns in the Kalamazoo area. As part of the think tank, the Program for Research on Black Americans will convene discussion groups focusing on key issues related to community needs and assets, educational achievement, financial planning, and racial health disparities. In addition, the Program for Research on Black Americans will compile demographic, socioeconomic, and social indicator data to develop statistical profiles of the Kalamazoo area. Using these profiles, the Program for Research on Black Americans will hold meetings with the community organizations to explore how these data can be used to address local health and social problems.