Monday, May 9, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is accepting grant applications for funding offered through its Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Fund, Focus Fund Endowment, and Marsha J. Smith Community Leadership Fund. The next deadline to apply is June 1 and each grant opportunity is open to nonprofit, educational, governmental, and Tribal organizations serving Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and/or Leelanau Counties. more
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and Rotary Charities of Traverse City are partnering to support local diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts by providing a matching gift opportunity for the Foundation’s DEI Fund. more
Monday, April 25, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently awarded $541,377 in grants to 88 organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties. These grant awards come from the Community Foundation’s designated endowments and provide support across each of the Foundation’s five focus areas, including arts and culture, education, environment, health and human services, and youth. more
Monday, April 25, 2022
Continuing a 51-year tradition, this year’s Kalkaska Citizen and Business of the Year have been selected through a community nomination process facilitated through the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. The 2022 Kalkaska Citizen of the Year is Debbie Ball-Odeh and the 2022 Kalkaska Business of the Year is BC Pizza Kalkaska, owned by the Hammontree family. more
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
A total of $300,000 in grants, including $100,000 in scholarship grants, has been awarded from the Wilfred and Joan Larson Endowment, a fund stewarded by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Eighteen nonprofit organizations and schools across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties received grant awards. more
Monday, March 7, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2022 Kalkaska Citizen and Business of the Year Awards, a 51-year tradition in Kalkaska County honoring a resident for their civic involvement and a local business for their outstanding service. more
Monday, February 21, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, Traverse Connect, Rotary Charities of Traverse City, and Networks Northwest—all members of the Northwest Michigan Community Development Coalition—have partnered with Public Sector Consultants to facilitate a regional approach to identify community partnerships, encourage collaboration, and ultimately strive to secure state and federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. more
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its spring grants cycle that includes opportunities through its Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Fund, Focus Fund Endowment, and Marsha J. Smith Community Leadership Fund. The deadline to apply is March 1 and each grant opportunity is open to nonprofit, educational, governmental, and Tribal organizations serving Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and/or Leelanau Counties. more
Monday, February 7, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has awarded $10,000 in grants from its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Fund. The DEI Fund primarily provides support for organizations led by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrant, neurodiverse, and/or disability community members in addition to other programs, trainings, initiatives, and opportunities promoting equity and inclusion. more
Monday, January 31, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation finished 2021 with a historic milestone, reaching $104 million in total assets. In addition, during 2021, donor partners entrusted the Community Foundation with $5.7 million in contributors and the Foundation awarded more than $3.3 million in grants and scholarships. more
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s scholarship applications are now open to eligible students across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties. The Community Foundation offers nearly 100 unique scholarships to graduating high school seniors, current college students, and students pursuing vocational training and trade professions. more
Friday, January 14, 2022
To kick off 2022, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has welcomed seven new community members to its Board of Directors, the organization’s voluntary governing body comprised of individuals from across its five-county service area. more
Monday, December 13, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has awarded a total of $330,823 in grants at year-end to organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties as part of its fall grantmaking cycle. more
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has awarded a total of $35,883 in final grants from its Urgent Needs Fund to five nonprofit organizations serving Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties respectively. more
Monday, November 15, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has become the first community foundation in the state of Michigan to sign onto the Disability Inclusion Pledge, which was developed by the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy to advance disability inclusion across the philanthropic sector. more
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently received a $800,000 gift from Garfield Township to establish the Boardman Lake Loop Trail Maintenance Endowment, which will support the Trail’s ongoing care and upkeep. more
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has awarded $10,000 total in grants to organizations across the five-county region to support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. more
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently awarded a $10,170 grant to the Kalkaska County Library to support needed repairs after flooding caused damage to the Library’s lower level over the summer. more
Monday, September 27, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s Anchor and Heart Endowment recently awarded a $94,320 grant to the Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, supporting its new specialty clinic in downtown Frankfort. more
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is currently accepting applications for its fall grant cycle that includes 18 opportunities available to nonprofit, educational, governmental, and Tribal organizations in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and/or Leelanau Counties. more
Monday, August 16, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation invites local high school students to join its Youth Advisory Council (YAC). The Community Foundation’s YAC program involves young people across the five-county region as leaders and grantmakers, with participants acting as advisors to the Foundation’s Youth Endowment. more
Monday, August 9, 2021
The 2020 and 2021 Kalkaska Citizens and Businesses of the Year were honored at the Kalkaska Community Event hosted by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at Railroad Square Pavilion. more
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its summer grants cycle that includes opportunities through its newly created Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Fund as well as its Focus Fund Endowment, Marsha J. Smith Community Leadership Fund, and Youth Endowment. more
Thursday, July 8, 2021
In response to COVID-19, Glen Arbor Arts Center (GAAC) worked swiftly to shift its learning to an outdoor setting, creating a new Outdoor Learning Classroom with collaborative funding from the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and Rotary Charities of Traverse City. more
Monday, June 28, 2021
This summer, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation welcomed Traverse City West Senior High School student, Amy Jun to its Board of Directors. Jun is the Foundation’s second youth representative to the board, following in the footsteps of its first representative, Marina Ascione who served from 2019 to 2020. more
Monday, June 21, 2021
This spring and summer, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation awarded $16,660 in grants to organizations across the region through the Focus Fund Endowment, which is designed to impact broad community needs and interests. more
Monday, June 21, 2021
Learn about the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation's Youth Advisory Council's online safety video campaign collaboration with the Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center. more
Monday, June 14, 2021
This year, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation awarded $316,460 in scholarships to 184 students across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties. more
Monday, June 7, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has launched a new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Fund that is dedicated to DEI efforts in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties. more
Monday, June 7, 2021
Continuing a 50-year tradition, this year’s Kalkaska Citizen and Business of the Year have been selected through a community nomination process facilitated through the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. more
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
We are incredibly grateful for the hard work and dedication of our YAC students throughout this academic year and wish a hearty congratulations to our graduating seniors. more
Monday, May 10, 2021
Nominations are due soon for the 2021 Kalkaska Business and Citizen of the Year Awards, a 50-year tradition in the community to honor a local business for their service and a resident for their civic involvement. more
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
At the Community Foundation, we envision a region that is healthy, resilient, and thriving for all people. But the recent racist and discriminatory acts perpetrated by local high school students against their peers runs completely counter to this vision. more
Monday, April 12, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has recently expanded its Urgent Needs Fund eligibility, allowing more organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties to apply for COVID-19-related funding. more
Monday, April 12, 2021
Nominations are now open for the Kalkaska Business and Citizen of the Year Awards, a 50-year tradition in the community to honor a local business and resident for their civic involvement. more
Monday, March 29, 2021
This spring, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation awarded $462,052 in grants to organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties. more
Monday, March 1, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is now accepting applications for the Traverse City Track Club’s spring grant cycle and academic-year scholarships. more
Monday, February 22, 2021
Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation receives $172,000 from Grand Traverse County to support our Urgent Needs Fund. more
Monday, February 15, 2021
Students in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties have just a couple more weeks to apply for various scholarship opportunities through the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. more
Monday, February 8, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council leaders, in partnership with Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center and the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund, have launched #MakingNoise, a three-part social media video campaign aimed at calling attention to child abuse prevention. more
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
At your Community Foundation, we envision communities that are healthy, resilient, and thriving for all people. While we have made progress in managing the spread of the coronavirus, remaining diligent and following the lead of our public health officials is necessary to continue to slow and stop the spread and protect our residents and essential workers. more
Monday, January 25, 2021
In 2020, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation had one of its largest growth years in its 30-year history, receiving $15.6 million in contributions, awarding $3.8 million in grants and scholarships, and closing the year with $90 million in assets. more
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has partnered with the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) to set up a new pilot program called Link On-Demand Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT+) to provide reliable, fare-free transportation to and from medical appointments for community members. more
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Students in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties have the chance to pursue over 90 unique scholarship opportunities for the 2021-2022 school year through the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. more
Friday, December 11, 2020
The Community Foundation Board of Directors recently elected four new Directors for the 2021-2022 board year. more
Monday, December 7, 2020
The $71,800 directed by YAC is part of a total grant amount from the fall grant cycle of $265,373, which was recently approved by the Community Foundation Board of Directors. In total, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $3.5 million in grants and scholarships this yea more
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Cross-sector community partners, led by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, have come together to create a set of shared objectives and a Community Development Scorecard. more
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundations Youth Advisory Councils (YAC) are accepting grant applications from organizations working to impact youth needs in the five-county region. more
Thursday, August 6, 2020
This year, the Community Foundation awarded more than $287,000 in scholarships to 190 recipients. more
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently recertified for accreditation from the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® establish legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere. Originally accredited in November 2009, the Community Foundation has worked to maintain accreditation by completing a rigorous recertification process over the past eight months. more
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Moderator Dave Mengebier, president and CEO of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, will ask Democrat Dan O’Neil and Republican John Roth their stances on or plans for numerous issues, from water quality and protection, to public lands, to public health. more
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Area nonprofits have now benefited from more than $520,000 in total Community Foundation Urgent Needs Fund grants to support efforts to adapt and continue to provide support and services to individuals and families as the impacts of the coronavirus are felt in this region. more
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
This can only be possible if we remove barriers that prevent all of our neighbors - and particularly people and families of color - from having equitable opportunities to achieve a thriving life. more
Monday, April 6, 2020
The Community Foundation has received a $55,000 matching challenge gift for new contributions to the Urgent Needs Fund, effective immediately. more
Monday, March 30, 2020
The first grant awards from the Urgent Needs Fund have been awarded to support four nonprofits in the region. more
Friday, March 20, 2020
An Urgent Needs Fund has been established at the Community Foundation to mobilize individual giving and create a resource from which to support community response efforts to the impacts of the coronavirus. more
Monday, March 2, 2020
Nominations are now being accepted for the Kalkaska Citizen and Business of the Year Awards, a 50-year tradition honoring a local resident and business for their civic involvement. more
Monday, February 3, 2020
Though the majority of the scholarship applications are due March 2, Community Foundation staff recommend students begin the process now. more
Monday, January 27, 2020
The Community Foundation Board of Directors recently elected four new Directors for the 2020-2021 board year. more
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
All told, 2019 was a banner year for our Community Foundation. Donors entrusted us with $3.5 million in contributions and we awarded more than $3.3 million in grants and scholarships. more
Thursday, December 5, 2019
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s Board of Directors recently approved $286,169 in grant awards as part of the fall grant cycle. In total, so far this year the Community Foundation has awarded more than $3.1 million in grants and scholarships. more
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Students throughout the five-county region are attending college this fall with scholarship funding from the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. This year, the Community Foundation awarded more than $272,000 in awards to 194 recipients. more
Thursday, September 19, 2019
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation is currently accepting grant applications for its Fall Grant Cycle. more
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Movement Lab began at Central Grade School during the 2015/2016 school year and was offered only to kindergarten students. During the 2017/2018 school year, the program was expanded to first grade students at Central. Now, a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation is ensuring Movement Lab is available for another year. This is the second year the Community Foundation offered a grant to support Movement Lab. more
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
The Community Foundation Board of Directors recently elected two new Directors and a new Secretary to its Board. The Board Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Treasurer were all re-elected for their officer positions. more
Monday, July 1, 2019
Join us in welcoming the newest addition to our team -- Brittany Morton -- in the role of Program and Administrative Associate. more
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Join the Community Foundation on Friday, July 26 at 10am to hear personally from acclaimed authors of 'Our Towns,' James and Deborah Fallows, as they share what they learned from visiting communities across the country. Be inspired to create solutions as we celebrate success in our own towns and strive to build healthy, resilient, thriving communities. more
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
“We envision healthy, resilient, thriving communities for all,” said David Mengebier, Community Foundation president and CEO. “Environmental issues – including our valuable water resources – are a critical component to meeting that vision.” more
Monday, April 15, 2019
Continuing a long-standing community tradition, this year’s Citizen and Business of the Year have been named. The Traverse City Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation have partnered to host the annual event. The award winners will be honored at the 2019 Kalkaska Annual Luncheon on Wednesday, April 25. more
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Northwestern Michigan College students are planning an inaugural “Concert for Community Awareness” to raise awareness on issues, including mental health, suicide prevention, substance abuse, and homelessness. more
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
“Last year, we launched Accelerate, a movement for well-being, as part of our strategic commitment to building a culture of health and well-being,” said David Mengebier, Community Foundation president and CEO. “Our board chose Movement Lab as the recipient of its discretionary strategic grant dollars because it promotes physical activity and boosts literacy – both of which are critical to future well-being of kids.” more
Friday, February 15, 2019
Two students have been selected as the winners of the Perry Hannah Essay Contest that the Community Foundation YAC students have helped promote, facilitate, and judge. more
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Nominations are now being accepted for the Kalkaska Business and Citizen of the Year Awards, a 49-year tradition in the community to honor a local business and resident for their civic involvement. The award winners will be honored at the 2019 Kalkaska Annual Luncheon on Wednesday, April 25. The Traverse City Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation have partnered to host the annual event. more
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Last year the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, in partnership with the Charlevoix County and Petoskey-Harbor Springs Community Foundations, received a $60,000 grant award from the C.S. Mott Foundation to support combined clean energy efforts in the region.
This work focuses on building new and stronger relationships and partnerships, supporting greater community understanding and increased engagement with clean energy efforts, and supporting the three municipalities (Charlevoix, Petoskey, and Traverse City) in moving renewable energy and energy efficiency work forward within their communities and city facilities to create regional resiliency. more
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
“Last year we received almost 800 unique scholarship applications – an increase of nearly 200 over the previous year – and we decided that we needed a better system to optimize and simplify the process,” said Gina Thornbury, Community Foundation program officer. “Our new software allows students to fill out a preliminary application that lists every scholarship they are eligible for, tells them what to submit, and sends them deadline reminders.” more
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
The Community Foundation and TCNewTech are two of a group of local organizations working to build an innovative regional health ecosystem and invest in a local health technology cluster. The group also includes 20Fathoms, Munson Healthcare, and Boomerang Catapult. more
Monday, January 7, 2019
Two recently established Community Foundation Endowments are positioned to honor the legacy of local leaders – Jim and Ida Tompkins – and ensure annual benefit for area youth, for generations to come. more
Friday, January 4, 2019
The Community Foundation Board of Directors recently elected five new Directors for the 2019-2020 board year, including a youth representative: Marina Ascione, Terry Beamsley, Rachael Birgy, Cash Cook, and Royce Ragland. more
Thursday, December 20, 2018
As Marsha Smith began to approach her retirement date from Rotary Charities, where she’s served as Executive Director for more than 20 years, she asked that people consider marking her retirement not with gifts for her, but rather for the community. The Community Foundation established the Marsha J. Smith Community Leadership Fund to create just that opportunity. more
Monday, December 17, 2018
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s grants this year total more than $2.4 million, including $243,943 in grant awards approved this month by the Board of Directors as part of the 2018 fall grant cycle. more
Thursday, December 6, 2018
The Community Foundation is our local giving partner. By creating a fund or donating to an existing fund, such as the Endowment for Kalkaska Area, we can ensure that community needs are met now and forever. This giving season let’s give it forward, together. more
Friday, November 9, 2018
Kalkaska County Board Directors for the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation awarded $1,800 to the Father Fred Foundation for their Blessings in a Backpack program that makes sure that low-income students have nutritious food over the weekend. more
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
The Community Foundation is currently accepting grant applications for its Fall Grant Cycle and anticipates awarding nearly $280,000 in fall grants this year and has more than a dozen endowments from which it will award grants in the coming months, including from its Youth Endowment. more
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
The Community Foundation has granted more than $1 million from the Campbell Endowment. And, through the endowment model, a $1 million endowment remains. This means that the Campbell Endowment, which is just one of many endowments at the Community Foundation, will continue to financially support our community in perpetuity. more
Friday, August 10, 2018
Several key ideas that stand out to me about the Community Foundation model: First, it helps people make long-term investments in causes that matter to them. Second, it looks for opportunities to make our communities more vibrant and healthy. Lastly, it grants funds every year to organizations that are making life better in the region. more
Thursday, August 9, 2018
What I love about the Community Foundation is not only that immediate impact, but also how we are focused on the stewardship of endowments in perpetuity. Donors look to the Community Foundation to steward giving in a responsible manner so that doing good works can go on forever. more
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
The Community Foundation and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Crystal Downs Country Club launched a new partnership this year, together awarding $44,500 in scholarships to area students. more
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
This year, the Community Foundation awarded nine scholarships from the Tompkins scholarship endowment to six graduating high school seniors and three current college students who all previously graduated from Traverse City Area Public Schools. In total, the Tompkins Scholarship Endowment granted $38,500 this year to TCAPS students pursuing higher education. more
Monday, July 9, 2018
The Community Foundation Board of Directors recently elected new officers and directors for the 2018-2019 board year, which began July 1. more
Thursday, June 14, 2018
The Community Foundation recently awarded $15,000 to the Advocates for Benzie County to support the purchase of a multi-functional trailer. more
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Students from throughout our five-county region will be attending college in the fall with scholarship funding from the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, which has already awarded $222,683 in scholarships in 2018. more
Friday, June 8, 2018
For more than 25 years, your Community Foundation has been working in our region to provide dynamic and excellent services for donors, meaningful grants to support local nonprofits and collaborative leadership around community initiatives. We have the responsibility and privilege of partnering with donors and nonprofits in our region to enrich our communities then, now and forever. more
Friday, May 4, 2018
Join us in welcoming two new members to our team! more
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently awarded more than $384,000 in grants to local organizations throughout the five-county region and expects to award over $2 million in grants over the course of 2018. more
