In 2025, we’ve awarded $75,181 in diversity, equity, inclusion grants through our new Endowment for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and our Diversity Equity Inclusion Fund.
Fall Grants | Total Awarded: $8,250
| Antrim County Commission on Aging | $2,500 | Adult Day Program- High/Low Changing Table |
| Mashup Rock & Roll Musical | $750 | The Little Prince and the Man From Mars |
| Northport Area Heritage Association | $2,500 | Our Native History Exhibit |
| Special Olympics- Area 2 | $2,500 | Uniform Replacement and General Operating Support |
Summer Grants | Total Awarded: $13,995
| Benzie Transportation Authority | $2,000 | Accessible Educational Materials |
| Experiential Ink | $2,500 | Camp4All |
| Leelanau Conservancy | $2,000 | Indigenous Knowledges Land Visit Project |
| Northwestern Michigan College Foundation | $1,895 | Creating Comfort in Chaos: Developing a Mobile Sensory Tent for Neurodivergent Kids and Adults |
| Northwoods Music Collaborative | $2,000 | Vocal Opening Series |
| Open Your Eyes to Access, LLC | $2,300 | Curriculum Creation and Public Narrative Project: Centering Disability Identities |
| Suttons Bay Public Schools | $1,300 | AI-Powered Translator Technology for English Language Learner (ELL) Students |
Spring Grants | Total Awarded: $18,050
| 217 Recovery | $1,500 | 217 Recovery Rides |
| Benzie Area Pride Network (St. Philip's Episcopal Church) | $2,000 | General Operating Support |
| Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan | $1,500 | Championing Children: Supporting Native American families and all children in foster care |
| Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology | $1,500 | Antrim Writers Series Presents Des Cooper, Visiting Author |
| Crystal Community Ski Club | $1,000 | Crystal Community Ski Club Outreach Efforts |
| Gospel Army Black History Group | $1,800 | Student Living History |
| Grand Traverse Dyslexia Association | $1,500 | Tuition Assistance Project |
| PFLAG Traverse City | $2,000 | General Operating Support |
| ROCK of Kingsley Youth Center | $1,500 | Creating Calmer Spaces-YOU MATTER |
| TC Curling Club | $1,250 | Mighty Ducks Curling League |
| Utopia Foundation | $1,000 | 2025 AAPI Month event--Speaking Truth to Power: An Evening with Photographer Taro Yamasaki |
| National Writers Series | $1,500 | An Evening with Robin Wall Kimmerer: On Nature's Gifts ~ Gratitude and the Joy of Giving Back to the Planet |
Winter Grants | Total Awarded: $34,886
| 20Fathoms | $2,500 | Business and Marketing Essentials Bootcamp for Indigenous Entrepreneurs |
| BrickWays | $1,000 | Drum Circle |
| Disability Network | $1,386 | Project Rudolph |
| Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes | $2,500 | Anishinaabe Programs at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore |
| Generations Ahead | $1,750 | Spanish Interpretation for Teen Parents |
| Jobs for Humanity | $2,000 | Reverse Recruiting |
| Leland Public School | $1,500 | LPS World Learning Club General Operating Support |
| Maraschino Music | $1,250 | Therapeutic Healing Through Music #2 |
| Mashup Rock & Roll Musical | $1,750 | Bromeo vs The Juliettes production |
| Michigan Indian Legal Services, Inc. | $2,500 | Legal Deserts and Tribal Court practice |
| Northern Michigan E3 | $2,500 | Community Education Workshop on Anti-Racism |
| Northwest Education Services | $1,000 | Culturally Responsive Education Group- General Operating Support |
| Northwestern Michigan College Foundation | $1,250 | Black History 101 Mobile Museum- Marching for Justice Exhibit |
| Remain in Touch | $1,000 | General Operating Support |
| SEEDS Ecology & Education Centers | $1,500 | Traditional Ecological Knowledge Education at Kalkaska Middle School |
| Suttons Bay Public Schools | $1,750 | SB Public Schools Business Professionals of America (BPA) Club |
| TART Trails, Inc. | $2,250 | Flora & Fauna Project |
| Title Track | $2,500 | Water Protectors Training Camp |
| Traverse City Area Public Schools | $1,000 | K-12 Education for MLK Day |
| Up North Pride | $2,000 | Up North Pride Affinity & Social Group Program Support |
In 2024, we awarded $54,525 in diversity, equity, inclusion grants.
| * Child and Family Services of NWMI | $2,500 | Improving Inclusion: A multi-pronged approach |
| Crooked Tree Arts Center | $1,700 | ART/able |
| * Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology | $2,500 | The Long Memory Project: Pride |
| Discovery Pier | $2,100 | Great Lakes Kayaking Access for All |
| Elders Advisory Organization | $2,500 | PA System |
| Evergreen Community Group | $750 | Project- All Together Now! |
| Experiential Ink | $2,500 | Camp4All |
| Grand Traverse Area Children’s Garden | $1,000 | Project HEART - Harvesting Equity and Agricultural Resilience Together |
| $2,500 | Ability Garden Program | |
| Grand Traverse Dyslexia Association | $2,200 | Tuition Assistance |
| Grand Traverse Industries | $1,000 | Support for Field of Dreams project |
| Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities | $500 | Ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Support |
| Kewadin Indian Mission Church | $2,000 | General operating support/tech support |
| Leelanau Conservancy | $2,500 | Indigenous Knowledges Project Stipend |
| * Leelanau Historical Society | $2,500 | African American Settlers in Leelanau County Program |
| Maraschino Music | $1,000 | Therapeutic Healing Through Music |
| Mashup Rock and Roll Musical | $500 | Support 2024 Slate of Productions |
| Michigan Indian Legal Services | $2,500 | Project for Tribal Survivors of Domestic Violence Through Education and Outreach |
| Montessori Children’s House GT | $1,725 | Understanding Early Development of Gender Identity |
| National Writers Series | $2,500 | Kaveh Akbar Event & Battle of the Books |
| Northern Michigan Adaptive Sports | $2,500 | General Operating Support |
| Northwestern Michigan College Foundation | $1,250 | Halloween for All 2024 |
| Remain in Touch | $500 | General Operating Support |
| St. Philip’s Episcopal Church | $1,500 | Benzie Area Pride Network Operating Support |
| Suttons Bay Public Schools | $2,000 | Support for Cultural and Pep Clubs |
| The Watershed Center- GT Band | $1,000 | Development of a Justice Equity Inclusion Plan |
| Title Track | $2,300 | Water Protectors Training Camp |
| Traverse City Area Public Schools | $1,000 | Indigenous Education Book Totes |
| TC Central High School Band | $1,000 | Purchase of gender-neutral uniforms and music by minority or marginalized composers |
| Traverse City Sister City | $2,000 | Roots of Friendship |
| Up North Pride | $2,500 | General Operating Support |
*Grant was awarded from the Marsha J. Smith Community Leadership Fund
In 2023, we awarded $64,700 in diversity, equity, inclusion grants.
| Arts for All of Northern MI | $550 | Arts Escapes Program & Art in the Garden |
| Child & Family Services of NW MI | $2,000 | Expansion of DEI efforts |
| *Commonplace | $1,500 | Support for Second Chance Employers |
| *Crystal Community Ski Club | $1,000 | Support for strategic planning process with a DEI focus |
| El Grupo Norte Youth Cycling | $1,300 | More Girls on Bikes program |
| Experiential Ink | $2,500 | Camp4All General Operating Support |
| Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes | $2,300 | Anishinaabe Programs at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore |
| Grand Traverse Dyslexia Association | $2,500 | Tuition Assistance Project for low-income families |
| Grand Traverse Industries | $2,000 | GTI Community Engagement Activity Program |
| Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy | $750 | Enhancing nature access for individuals with mobility impairments |
| Grass River Natural Area, Inc. | $2,000 | DEI Assessment for Grass River |
| Housing North | $1,000 | Housing North DEI Plan |
| Immigration Law & Justice Michigan | $2,500 | Supporting legal capacity to serve immigrants, refuges and asylum seekers in the Grand Traverse Region |
| Kids on the Go- Traverse City | $2,000 | Therapy Camp Program Development |
| Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy | $2,500 | Universal Design and Access Infrastructure and Play |
| Mashup Rock & Roll Musical | $1,500 | Grimm’s Alternative Fairytales production |
| $1,000 | Look Who’s Talking Heads production | |
| Michigan Indian Legal Services, Inc. | $1,450 | Legal self-help and educational materials on MILS website |
| Mindimooyenh Healing Circle | $2,500 | Three Fires Midewiwin Winter Ceremonies |
| *National Alliance on Mental Illness Grand Traverse | $2,500 | Northwest Michigan Youth Mental Health Initiative |
| Northport Indian United Methodist Church | $2,400 | Start up installation and 1 year operation of Star Link Internet |
| Northwest Education Services | $1,250 | North Ed DEIB Committee support |
| Pathfinder School | $2,000 | DEI Framework Development |
| Planned Parenthood of Michigan | $1,450 | Provider education to center needs of 2SLGBTQ+ people |
| PoWeR! Book Bags | $2,500 | Educational equity at Mancelona schools |
| Remain in Touch | $1,500 | General Operating Support |
| Suttons Bay Public Schools | $1,500 | Cultures and Arts Field Trip to Chicago |
| The Dream Team Northern MI | $1,250 | Field of Dreams Dugout Project |
| The ROCK of Kingsley Youth Center | $1,000 | The Rock: You Matter Programming |
| Title Track | $2,500 | BIPOC Healing Ourselves |
| Traverse Area Historical Society | $2,000 | Kchi Wiikwedong Anishinaabe History Project |
| Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center | $750 | DEI library for clients and staff |
| Up North Pride | $2,500 | Pride Week Celebration 2023 |
| Utopia Foundation | $2,500 | Northern MI E3 Strategic Plan |
| Utopia Foundation | $1,000 | Two-part event series for Grand Traverse AAPI Month 2023 |
| Writers Series of Traverse City | $2,500 | Alvin Hall author event |
*Grant was awarded from the Marsha J. Smith Community Leadership Fund