Help us honor Dave's legacy!
Join us to honor Dave Mengebier, our outgoing CEO, by leaving a legacy for our region with a gift to our Focus Fund Endowment!
Community Funds Grant Awards
- 2025 Community Funds Grant Awards
In 2025, we awarded $334,700 in grants from our Community Funds.
Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan $40,000 Expand Housing with Supports for Chronic Homeless with Mental Illness Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan $13,000 Overcoming Housing Hurdles: A fund for clients in the 5-county area Northwest Michigan Supportive Housing $37,500 Ending Chronic Homelessness Father Fred Foundation $22,500 Essential Need for Food in Our Community ROCK of Kingsley Youth Center $22,500 General Operating Support- 25/26 School Year Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center $37,500 General Operating Support Frankfort Community Land Trust $15,000 Cottages at Corning Grass River Natural Area, Inc. $22,500 Boardwalk Reconstruction Phase III - Sedge Meadow & Fern Trails Michael's Place $24,000 Healthy Adults, Healthy Children Habitat for Humanity - Grand Traverse Region $37,500 New Waves Phase 1 Women's Resource Center for the Grand Traverse Area $37,500 She Has A Home: Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence Microcenter Child Care Network (MCCN) $7,500 Child Care Provider Support Network Pilot in Leelanau County Acme Christian Thrift Store & Food Pantry (ACTS) $12,500 ACTS Food Pantry Grand Traverse Industries $5,200 Art Able Connections - 2024 Community Funds Grant Awards
In 2024, we awarded $301,743 in grants from our Community Funds.
Child & Family Services of NW MI $30,000 Fulfilling Futures: Creating an educational facility for regional youth serving the community Housing North $50,000 Housing Ready Program support- Antrim & Kalkaska Counties Habitat for Humanity Grand Traverse Region $40,000 New Waves Housing Development Northwest Michigan Supportive Housing $25,000 Ending Chronic Homelessness Benzie Conservation District $20,000 Protecting water quality through the Northwest Michigan Watersheds Coalition Northwest Michigan College Foundation $4,243 Accessibility Updates at the Dennos Museum Center ROCK of Kingsley Youth Center $15,000 2024/2025 School Year Operating Support El Grupo Norte Youth Cycling $15,000 Bike Smart: Bicycle Safety Education- Powered by Norte Youth Cycling Kalkaska Downtown Development $20,000 US-131 North Country Trail Trailhead and Boardman Authority River Boardwalk Inland Seas Education Association $7,500 Securing the Future of Great Lakes Education Justice and Peace Advocacy Center $17,500 Promatora de Salud (Community Health Worker) Mindimooyenh Healing Circle $15,000 Nurturing the Eighth Fire Bay Area Transportation Authority $5,000 BATA Park-n-Ride Promotion Au Sable Institute $10,000 Restoration Ecology for Young Students (REYS) The Friendship Community Center $10,000 Leelanau Investing for Teens (LIFT) Addiction Treatment Services, Inc. $6,500 Taking Treatment Services to the Next Level Mashup Rock & Roll Musical $6,000 Mashup Small Theatre Space Michigan Legacy Art Park $5,000 New and Improved Art Programs and Activities at Michigan Legacy Art Park - 2023 Community Funds Grant Awards
In 2023, we’ve awarded $238,522 in grants from our Community Funds.
The Dream Team Northern Michigan $17,022 Field of Dreams Dugout Project Dolly Parton Imagination Library GT Region $25,750 Books from Birth- Building a System for Early Literacy Communities in Schools of Northwest MI $25,000 Communities in Schools Afterschool Program Peace Ranch $15,000 Surviving to Thriving: A Collaboration for Youth Mental Health Salvation Army- Traverse City $15,000 Stay Housed- Emergency Rental Assistance Bay Area Transportation Authority $5,000 Circulating free try-transit passes at all libraries in GT and Leelanau Counties Leelanau Peninsula Economic Foundation $13,250 2023 Business Survey and Business Round Table Establishment Northwest Michigan Arts and Culture Network $25,000 Network Capacity Building Through Technology & Staffing Goodwill Northern Michigan $20,000 Support of the Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness Grow Benzie $17,500 Building from the Ground Up: Leveraging Transformative Support for Community Projects Before, During, and After Incarceration $10,000 BDAI Operations Kalkaska County Library $20,000 Kalkaska County Branch Libraries Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology $15,000 Carbon Farming in Northwest Lower Michigan Leelanau Montessori Forever Foundation $15,000 Leelanau Montessori Early Childhood Expansion - 2022 Community Funds Grant Awards
In 2022, we’ve awarded $111,000 in grants from our Community Funds.
Discovery Center Great Lakes $20,000 Discovery Pier Improvement Project Housing North $20,000 Housing Ready Program Expansion- Leelanau County Northern Blooms Montessori Family Center $15,000 Northern Blooms Montessori Family Center Thompsonville Area Revitalization Project $15,000 Phase II of Thompsonville Area Revitalization Project Land Information Access Association $15,000 Daylighting Septic Data in Northwest Lower Michigan Generations Ahead $15,000 Generations Ahead Logic Model and Evaluation Traverse Symphony Orchestra $11,000 TSO Community Music School