News & Stories

Over $370,000 in Grants Awarded

A child is sitting on a gray couch, holding and looking at an open picture book titled “Hey! Look at You!”

Photo credit: PoWeR! Book Bags

Image description: A child is sitting on a gray couch, holding and looking at an open picture book titled “Hey! Look at You!”

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently awarded $378,098 in grants to 75 organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

“Our year-end grant cycles represent the wide variety of causes that we support, from health and humans services and environmental conservation to youth programs and senior services,” said Steve Wade, Vice President of Community Impact. “We are grateful to our donor partners who make these grant awards possible alongside our grant partners who carry out important work to support our region.”

The Community Foundation’s recent grant awards come from 24 funds and endowments that the organization stewards and represent five different grant cycles, including:

Fall grants, 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.
Diversity equity inclusion 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.
Quick response grants, which support a rapid, flexible response to community needs and primarily support unexpected or unforeseeable smaller dollar needs that fall outside of an organization’s regular budget.
Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) grants, which support programs that benefit students at TCAPS schools.
Youth Endowment grants, which support youth causes and organizations across the region and are decided by the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Councils.

A selection of grants awarded include:

$5,000 to 22 2 None for transitional housing for veteran families.
$2,500 to Antrim County Commission on Aging for supplies and materials for the adult day program.
$28,130 to Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan for a variety of programs, including the youth crisis line; YouthWorks, a job skill-building program for young people; and parent-child reunification.
$4,000 to Diamond Mind Cultura for culturally appropriate mental health therapy and a cultural dance group.
$2,500 for Northport Area Heritage Association for a new permanent exhibit, “Our Native History” being created in partnership with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
$7,498 to PoWeR! Book Bags for literacy programs that support the growth of young learners.
$15,500 to ROCK of Kingsley Youth Center for inclusive afternoon youth programs.
$7,000 to Women’s Resource Center for the Grand Traverse Area for support and safe shelter for survivors and their children.

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 of all sizes are accepted online at www.gtrcf.org/give.