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Vision, Mission, Values

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation began in 1992 when a group of community champions came together around a vision to give back to our region then, now, and forever.

This vision lives on within our organization today as we continue supporting a variety of community impact areas, including youth, arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services.

We do this by promoting giving, engaging in collaborative leadership, supporting nonprofit organizations through meaningful grants and local students through scholarships, and building endowments that make a lasting impact for generations to come. 

Since 1992, we have received more than $126 million in gifts and awarded over $73 million in grants and scholarships.

Celebrating 30 Years of Community Impact

Our Vision

A region of healthy, resilient, thriving communities for all.

Our Mission

We invest in the people and places of our region and steward community assets for lasting impact.

Our Values

  • Our Strategic Plan

    Our Strategic Plan guides our work for a four-year period. Our overaching strategic goals for 2022-2025 include Accountability and Focus, Awareness and Relationship Building, Collaboration and Community Impact, and Equity and Inclusion. View our full 2022-2025 Strategic Plan. 

  • Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Commitment

    The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation invests in the people and places of our region and stewards community assets for lasting impact. We are beholden to our community and envision a region of healthy, resilient, thriving communities for all—where everyone has access to quality healthcare, housing, food, arts and cultural experiences, and educational opportunities and where we care for our land, air, and water so that it can flourish for generations to come.

    We believe diversity encompasses, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, economic circumstances, zip code, age, health and ability status, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, resident or immigration status, national origin, veteran status, and religion. 

    We understand that our neighbors across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties and the sovereign nation of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians have different needs and that these needs can change over time. As a steward of community assets, we have a responsibility to share these resources in an equitable way across our region, including with communities and partners that have been historically marginalized and impacted by disinvestment. 

    We recognize that systemic racism and long-standing injustices are embedded in the histories of the United States, the state of Michigan, and our region, and we are working to acknowledge and address the impact that these systems of oppression continue to have on our communities.

    We are committed to using our leadership, resources, and voice to build toward a better future where all people across our region have equitable access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. This is how we can work together to support an inclusive region of healthy, resilient, thriving communities for everyone.

  • Our Nondiscrimination Policy

    Employment

    The Foundation follows an equal opportunity employment policy and employs personnel without regard to race, ethnicity, economic circumstances, zip code, age, health and ability status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, resident or immigration status, national origin, veteran status, or religion. This policy applies to hiring, internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, and terminations.

    Grantmaking

    No person in the United States shall, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in paragraph 249(c)(4) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, marital or parental status, political affiliation, military service, physical or mental ability, or any other improper criterion be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available by the Foundation, and any other program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds appropriated for grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance administered by the Foundation. 

    Other

    This policy applies throughout the organization and includes, but is not limited to donors, Board Directors, Youth Advisory Council members, other volunteers, and vendors and suppliers. This policy applies to all Foundation operations.

    Policy established: August 18, 2022 | Modified: January 30, 2020 | Due for Review: 2025

  • Our Land Acknowledgement

    The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is located on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabek, the Three Fires Confederacy—who are the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodawatomi—and all their relations. We acknowledge that this region has been home to the Anishinaabek, now known as the sovereign nation of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, since time immemorial.

    We understand that the historic Treaties intended to reserve land for the local Anishinaabeg were not honored and that this land was unjustly taken from our Indigenous neighbors. The Community Foundation is committed to building deeper relationships with the Tribe and to supporting their priorities.