News & Stories
Empowering Teens through Community Support
Empowering area youth through programming designed to nurture self-discovery is invaluable in any community. Sometimes, for such youth programs, specific needs arise that require flexible and responsive grant funding. This is when our Community Funds step in, partnering with nonprofits like Leelanau Investing for Teens (LIFT) Center and The Friendship Community Center (FCC) of Suttons Bay to create opportunities for teens to connect and grow.
In 2024, LIFT received one of our Community Funds grants to support their out-of-schooltime programs and expansion efforts, filling a need for Leelanau County youth. In operation since 2017, LIFT is Leelanau County’s only free after-school program for sixth through 12th graders, providing academic support, mentoring, outdoor adventures, and meaningful partnerships with local nonprofits and businesses.
“Our mission is to empower our students to be part of our collective community and to engage as leaders of their generation,” said Rebekah TenBrink, Executive Director of FFC and Founder and Executive Director of LIFT. “The Leelanau County youth participating in LIFT are more engaged students, better connected in healthy ways with their peers and community, and have found a safe space and people to be themselves with.”
Through commensurate support from school districts, families, community members, and local funders, LIFT has grown from small, informal hangouts into a multi-site school-based youth organization serving nearly 800 middle and high school students.
Recently, LIFT received over $20,000 from various funds we steward, including $10,000 collectively from the Endowment for Leelanau and the Focus Fund Endowment—two of our flexible Community Funds.
“The Community Foundation has been a steadfast supporter of LIFT since its founding,” shared Rebekah. “We are so proud to have an innovative and kind funder in our community, and even prouder that they have chosen again and again to invest in our programs.”
With Community Foundation funding, LIFT has been able to strengthen its out-of-school programs and expand its year-round offerings by supporting costs related to staffing, supplies, equipment, maintenance on vehicles that transport students to and from activities, capacity-building efforts, and bolstering its new partnership with Leland Public Schools.
With so much happening at LIFT thanks to flexible funding, Rebekah can’t help but appreciate Community Funds grants.
“Community Funds grants are essential because they provide rare, flexible funding that can meet a wide range of community needs, including the often-overlooked general operating costs,” said Rebekah. “These undesignated funds are typically the hardest for nonprofits to secure, yet they are crucial for sustaining meaningful work and responding to emerging challenges. The Community Foundation’s commitment to this type of grantmaking speaks volumes. We see them as an invaluable partner and a model for other funders in our region and beyond.”
Writer: Alex Dailey