Annual Report
2023 Results
Deep Roots Stabilize
2023 highlighted that our partnerships—whether brand new or long-established—are enhanced by our deep roots in West and Northern Michigan. Our communities are strengthened by our grantees, who prioritize listening to the lived experiences of our neighbors to understand the root causes of the issues they’re facing, and co-creating a path to what everyone needs for a more stable future.
Grantmaking
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Total grants awarded in 2023
Stories of Impact
Strategic Investments
Type of Support
by amount granted in dollars
Grant Size*
BY Number of Grants Awarded
*Average Grant Size: $84,172
2023 Grants Awarded
By organization
| Organization Name | Project Title | Awarded Amount | Program Area | Area Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access of West Michigan | 2023 Walk for Good Food | $500 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Access of West Michigan | Fresh Market program to launch healthy food retail start-ups in neighborhoods with limited food access | $10,000 | Children and Families | West Michigan |
| AFP West Michigan Chapter | 2023 National Philanthropy Day | $1,000 | Family and Philanthropy | West Michigan |
| Amplify GR | Construction of the Boston Square Community Hub in southeast Grand Rapids | $175,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| AQUME Foundation | Gold Gala Annual Fundraiser | $1,500 | Family and Philanthropy | West Michigan |
| ArtPrize 2.0 | Relaunch of a highly-valued annual public art event in Grand Rapids | $110,000 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Blandford Nature Center | Capacity building support for long-term financial sustainability of the organization | $30,000 | Environment | West Michigan |
| Boy Scouts of America, Michigan Crossroads Council | Development of a youth assessment tool for Summer Leadership Series participants | $20,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Camp Blodgett | A youth summer camp experience focused on empowerment and mental health | $20,000 | Children and Families | West Michigan |
| Central Michigan University | Judy Johnson Endowed Scholarship in memory of William L. Johnson | $500 | Family and Philanthropy | State of Michigan |
| Charlevoix County Community Foundation | The Chip Hansen Fund for the Community | $5,000 | Family and Philanthropy | Northern Michigan |
| Charlevoix Historical Society | Roof repair for the Historic Train Depot | $4,400 | Community Arts | Northern Michigan |
| City of Grand Rapids | 2023 Neighborhood Summit | $1,500 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Conservation Resource Alliance | Repairs along the Jordan River and Deer Creek in Northern Michigan to improve water quality and fish/aquatic passage | $125,000 | Environment | Northern Michigan |
| Council of Michigan Foundations | 50th Anniversary Jubilee and 2023 Conference | $15,000 | Family and Philanthropy | State of Michigan |
| Crooked Tree Arts Center | Expansion of arts programming and increasing the accessibility of the building for all community members | $100,000 | Community Arts | Northern Michigan |
| Davenport University | Development and launch of Casa Latina, a virtual dual language program for bilingual students | $315,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Degage Ministries | Launch of the Complex Needs Supportive Housing program | $30,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| DisArt | Strategic planning to strengthen the organization and equip it with a plan for controlled growth | $11,500 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation | EGRS Foundation Community Service and Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner | $1,500 | Children and Families | West Michigan |
| Environmental Law & Policy Center | Engaging stakeholders to identify and transition retired coal plant sites for use as public park lands and solar energy generation and storage | $90,000 | Environment | West Michigan |
| Family Promise of West Michigan | Increasing housing stability for families with children by expanding homelessness prevention services and opportunities for home ownership | $271,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Festival of the Arts in Grand Rapids | 2023 Festival of the Arts | $5,000 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Friends of Grand Rapids Parks | A new, natural surface trail segment at Ball Perkins Park in northeast Grand Rapids | $7,100 | Environment | West Michigan |
| Girls Choral Academy | Strategic growth and expansion efforts under the organization's new leadership | $10,000 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Girls Growing II Women, Inc | A holistic cohort program to support young girls, their parents and young adults | $30,000 | Children and Families | West Michigan |
| Grand Action Foundation 2.0 | Construction of the Acrisure Amphitheater, a 12,000-seat outdoor amphitheater along the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. | $1,500,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Art Museum | 2023 Annual Gala | $1,500 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Children's Museum | 2023 State of Play breakfast | $5,000 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Community Foundation | Celebration and a commissioned piece of artwork in honor of the foundation’s long-time president Diana Sieger and her retirement | $18,500 | Family and Philanthropy | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Community Foundation | 2024 Non Profit Technical Assistance Fund to address the need for capacity building and technical assistance among nonprofits in Kent County | $30,000 | Family and Philanthropy | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Downtown Market Education Foundation | Small Plates Big Impact Fundraiser | $1,000 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Symphony Society | 2023 Bravo! Awards Gala honoring David & Judy Frey and the Frey Foundation | $3,500 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Symphony Society | 2024 Celebration of Soul | $3,750 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Grand Rapids Symphony Society | Capacity building support as the organization recovers from the impact of the pandemic | $30,000 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Grand Valley State University | Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy's celebration for the outgoing Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy | $1,393 | Family and Philanthropy | West Michigan |
| Grand Valley State University | Endowment of the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy | $1,200,000 | Family and Philanthropy | National |
| Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities | Strategic plan implementation focused on capacity building | $20,000 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition | 2023 Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Conference | $1,000 | Environment | State of Michigan |
| Heart of West Michigan United Way | Capacity building support during the three-county merger | $3,500 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Housing Kent | State of Housing in Kent County Report to fill a data gap in the community and to help guide the organization’s efforts in the coming years | $15,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance | 2023 Summit on Race and Inclusion | $1,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| LINC UP | Increasing local contractors that are lead abatement certified, with an emphasis on contractors of color in the 49507-zip code | $10,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Little Traverse Conservancy, Inc. | Construction of the Jordan River Watershed Trail to improve connectivity and walkability in downtown East Jordan | $75,000 | Environment | Northern Michigan |
| Little Traverse Conservancy, Inc. | Protection of 56 acres on Little Traverse Bay in Charlevoix to serve as the Enji-minozhiiyaamigak Nature Preserve | $170,000 | Environment | Northern Michigan |
| Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds | 2023 Annual Spring Forum | $500 | Environment | West Michigan |
| Michigan Women Forward | 2023 WomanUp & Celebrate: West Michigan | $2,500 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| NIA Centre | 2023 "My Story" Event and Reception | $3,500 | Community Arts | West Michigan |
| Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity | Foundations for Our Future campaign to accelerate increasing the affordable housing supply in Northern Michigan | $210,000 | Building Community | Northern Michigan |
| Our Hope Association | Renovations of a new facility in Grand Rapids to provide a complete of care for women with substance use disorder | $100,000 | Children and Families | West Michigan |
| Petoskey Salvation Army | Renovations of a regional community center and enhancements for community assistance programs in Petoskey | $20,000 | Children and Families | Northern Michigan |
| Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation | Grant and PRI support for the construction of an affordable rental apartment community in Petoskey | $500,000 | Building Community | Northern Michigan |
| Start Garden | Expansion of Accelerate Equity program, a CEO lab focused on building businesses, growing startups and addressing systemic problems of racial equity | $30,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| STEM Greenhouse | Launch of STEM Academy within Grand Rapids Public Schools’ Innovation Central High School | $200,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| The Preservation Association of Beaver Island | Strengthen and increase the sustainability of Beaver Island Community Center | $15,000 | Family and Philanthropy | Northern Michigan |
| The River Community Center | Purchase a building to serve as the River Community Center, a site for community convenings and community-based social programming in Lake County | $10,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| The Village Learning Center | Construction of an intergenerational senior activity and early childhood education center in Northern Kent County | $60,000 | Children and Families | West Michigan |
| Top of Michigan Mountain Bike Association | Development of five miles of mountain bike trail at the Offield Family Viewlands in Harbor Springs | $15,000 | Environment | Northern Michigan |
| Urban League of West Michigan | 2023 MLK Day Corporate Breakfast | $1,500 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Vibrant Futures | Village Pathways 2 Child Care Initiative to increase awareness of and enrollment in the State of Michigan's Tri-Share program in Kent County | $47,000 | Children and Families | West Michigan |
| West Michigan Community Tennis | Purchase and renovation of a year-round facility to expand programming and increase access to tennis | $75,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Women's Resource Center | 33rd Annual Pillar Awards/50th Anniversary | $1,200 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| Women's Resource Center | Emergency response for former Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative staff members | $5,000 | Building Community | West Michigan |
| YWCA West Central Michigan | 2023 Annual Spring Luncheon | $1,000 | Family and Philanthropy | West Michigan |
| YWCA West Central Michigan | Capacity building for the planning and launch of the Domestic Violence Action Network in Kent County | $30,000 | Children and Families | West Michigan |