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!
Fall Grants
LIFT Teen Center
Our fall grants provide funding to support a range of programs and services, including those that focus on education, the environment, youth, seniors, health and human services, and more. This year, we will award fall grants through 20 different endowments that we steward.
Grant opportunities, unless otherwise stated, are open to organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties as well as the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, including:
- 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
- Organizations with a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor
- Educational institutions
- Governmental entities
- Tribal organizations
Please note that Traverse City Track Club Endowment grant applications must be submitted separately and are not included in our regular Fall Grants application process.
Fall Grants Guide
- Animal Welfare
- About: Grant awards support animals and animal rescue organizations in the five-county region. Priority for funding is given to nonprofit, volunteer-run organizations.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $1,200 available; grant award amounts may range.
- Arts & Culture
Genuine Leelanau Charitable Endowment
- About: Grant awards support integrated arts and other projects that benefit Leelanau County children and families in need.
- Eligibility: Leelanau County-serving organizations as well as the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $7,450 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$3,000.
- Education
Elk Rapids Area Education Endowment
- About: Grant awards support educational opportunities for Elk Rapids area residents, both within the public schools and in the community at large.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve the Elk Rapids area and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $9,211 available; grant awards typically range from $600-$4,000.
- Community Development
Elk Rapids Area Community Endowment
- About: Grant awards support projects that enhance the beauty of the Elk Rapids community.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve the Elk Rapids area and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $12,500 available; grant awards of up to $5,000 will be considered.
Suttons Bay and Bingham Endowment
- About: Grant awards support a variety of organizations, community projects, and programs that benefit Suttons Bay and Bingham Townships and the Village of Suttons Bay.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Suttons Bay, Bingham Township, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $12,080 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$3,000.
- Environment
John N. Barnes Environmental Education Endowment
- About: Grant awards support environmental education activities for Benzie County residents.
- Eligibility: Benzie County-serving organizations and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $2,160 available; grant awards typically range from $250-$2,000.
Land Use Conservation and Planning Endowment
- About: Grant awards support programs or projects focused on land use planning or land use stewardship activities.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $22,630 available, grant awards typically range from $1,000-$7,500.
Richard V. and Kimiko O. Williams Endowment
- About: Grant awards support programs and activities in Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties related to Great Lakes maritime heritage, history, and education; stewardship of the Great Lakes; environmental conservation, education, and land use.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Grand Traverse or Leelanau Counties, including the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $3,450 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$2,500.
- Health & Human Services
Access to Recreation Endowment
- About: Grant awards support recreational projects, programs, and opportunities that are focused on providing universal accessibility design, beyond basic ADA requirements.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $2,520 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$1,800.
- About: Grant awards support programs or projects that promote self-sufficiency by supporting philanthropic approaches to meeting basic needs in the five-county region.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $63,210 available; grant awards typically range from $1,500-$4,000.
Healthy Youth and Healthy Seniors Endowment
- About: Grant awards support programs or projects that are focused on improving the health of youth and/or seniors.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $6,720 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$3,000.
Joan Rajkovich McGarry Family Education Endowment
- About: Grant awards support programs and activities related to nutrition and, in particular, school aged children and obesity issues in Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Grand Traverse or Leelanau Counties, including the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $6,500 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$4,000.
Northwest Michigan Osteopathic Endowment
- About: Grant awards support medical professionals’ education, innovative health education or research, and programs that respond to community health needs.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $12,090 available; grant awards typically range from $5,000-$15,000.
- About: Grant awards support agencies that provide services and support to veterans within the region.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $550 available.
- Sports & Recreation
- About: Grant awards support programs that promote and encourage running, race-walking and walking.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: The TC Track Club anticipates awarding $45,000 this year; individual award amounts will vary.
- Youth
Boys and Girls Club of Grand Traverse Endowment
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Grand Traverse or Leelanau Counties, including the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- About: Grant awards support youth programs in Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties.
- Grant awards available: $3,480 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$2,000.
Grand Traverse Families in Action for Youth Endowment
- About: Grant awards support helping young people in the Traverse City area avoid substance abuse and violence.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Grand Traverse County.
- Grant awards available: $5,750 available; grant awards typically range from $2,000-$5,000.
- About: Grant awards support children and youth in the Kingsley area.
- Eligibility: Organizations serving the Kingsley area and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $1,150 available; grant awards typically range from $500-$1,500.
MSU/Big Ten Fund for Safe & Healthy Kids Endowment
- About: Grant awards support programs promoting child safety and success with an emphasis on the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse.
- Eligibility: Organizations that serve Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties or the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
- Grant awards available: $5,250 available.
- About: Grant awards support programs and projects that support youth in Traverse City.
- Eligibility: Organizations serving Traverse City and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Grant awards available: $80,240 available; grant awards typically range from $2,500-$10,000.
How to Apply
- Applications are open between August 15-October 1.
- Once you've logged into our Grants Portal, please complete the eligibility quiz. The eligibility quiz features a short series of questions that will help determine for which grant opportunities your organization qualifies.
- Based on the eligible grant opportunities, please complete an application for each grant opportunity. There is an option to copy and paste your answers from one application to another.
- Each grant opportunity has a specific focus and criteria that you will need to review to determine which opportunities are the best fit for your organization.
- If you need to leave the grant application for any reason, remember to save your work so that your progress is not lost.
- As you complete your grant application(s), please note that you will be asked:
- To describe how your organzation's project aligns with our vision statement, which is: "We envision healthy, resilient, thriving communities, supported by a culture of generosity."
- How your project may influence one or more of the key objectives on the Northwest Michigan Community Development Coalition's Regional Scorecard.
Final Reports
We value data and how it informs both our ongoing impact and future grants. Grant partners will be invited to complete a final report within a year of being awarded a grant.
Final reports are used to understand the outcome of your project or program and allow us to share the successes of your work with our supporters, community partners, and the general public.
Questions? Contact Us!
Please reach out to us at grants@gtrcf.org or (231) 935-4066.