Nearly $400,000 Awarded to 67 Organizations

Photo credit: Inland Seas Education Association

Image description: A young boy excitedly holds up a crayfish while smiling, with a woman standing beside him. The woman is wearing a coral jacket, a beige cap, and a t-shirt that says "Inland Seas" and "Great Lakes." The scene is set outdoors on a sunny day, with a body of water and greenery in the background.

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The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently awarded $394,051 in grants to 67 organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

“These grant awards would not be possible without the important work of our grant partners across the region and the investment of our donor partners,” said David Mengebier, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “These grants show the difference we can make in our communities when we work together.”

The Community Foundation’s recent grant awards come from 21 funds and endowments that the organization stewards and represent three different grant cycles, including:

• Fall grant opportunities, which 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.
• Youth Endowment grants, which support youth causes and organizations across the region and are decided by the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Councils.
• Diversity Equity Inclusion Fund grants, which support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the region, including primarily providing support for organizations led by Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, immigrant, neurodiverse, and/or disability community members.

A selection of grants awarded include:

• $18,510 to Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan to support strengthening young people and their communities through the YouthWork Conservation Corps.
• $2,500 to Experiential Ink to support Camp4All, a summer camp for LGBTQ+ youth.
• $11,300 to Friendship Community Center to support free out-of-school youth programs at LIFT Teen Center.
• $4,000 to Glen Arbor Arts Center for year-round arts education for youth, teens, and young adults.
• $5,000 to Grow Benzie to support the Benzie Human Services Collaborative Family Services Workgroup and the Benzie Area Youth Initiative’s tech and youth mental health project.
• $10,750 to Inland Seas Education Association for their environmental education programs.
• $8,000 to Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center for child abuse prevention and education.
• $19,344 to Women’s Resource Center for their emergency shelter program.

To view all recent grant awards, visit the Community Foundation’s website at www.gtrcf.org/grants/grant-awards. To apply for a grant from the Community Foundation, visit: www.gtrcf.org/grants/apply, and to make a gift to one or more funds at the Foundation, donations are accepted online at www.gtrcf.org/give.