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FUND FOR COMMUNITY GOOD Over Time
Over the years, Grand Rapids Community Foundation has often described our competitive grantmaking as “meeting the most urgent needs of the time.” We’ve built a growing endowment through over a century of donations from generous community partners. This lets us provide unrestricted funds to support the parts of our community that need it most.
Looking back, we can see how grants have made a big difference. Projects, education initiatives and buildings funded decades ago are now key parts of our community’s story. But it can be harder to see how individual grants, partnerships and process changes are creating meaningful change right now.
Change is most visible today through the lens of our commitment to racial, social and economic justice—especially through the investments of our Fund for Community Good. In 1993 we formed a volunteer advisory committee to bring more community voice into Fund for Community Good grant decisions. This group keeps evolving and refining its processes to be more equitable and responsive to our nonprofit ecosystem.
In 2017, the Community Foundation released our North Star. Since then, the FFCG Advisory Committee has changed our grant practices, policies and applications to better embody justice. One change is to support nonprofits and movements led by people of color and those who are or aim to become actively anti-racist. We work with those who are trusted and deeply connected to their communities. This helps create a strong, well-resourced ecosystem that reduces racial inequities in our community.
We know that creating a thriving community for everyone in Kent County requires a mix of both new and established nonprofits and community organizations with varied sizes and approaches. Community-trusted organizations are often best at creating solutions and driving change. They’ve proven their commitment to racial, social and economic justice by mobilizing people, creating safe spaces, advocating for change, disrupting harmful systems and promoting new policies. They are essential for empowering communities to challenge inequitable systems.
We believe that without these organizations, conditions in communities of color would be much worse. Community trusted organizations are essential for empowering communities to challenge inequitable systems. However, smaller nonprofits often face barriers to funding, such as limited access to capital or restrictive funding requirements. They are often underfunded because their social capital is not always valued by dominant culture. This limits their access to philanthropic support.
The FFCG is dedicated to providing resources to these organizations. So, we frequently provide multi-year, unrestricted funding, and we simplify application and reporting processes. We build relationships based on transparency, clear communication and shared learning. In the past eight years we have dramatically shifted our investment in organizations that reflect this description.
We’ve increased the percentage of grants awarded through our FFCG to organizations led by people of color.
We strive to strengthen and sustain an ecosystem of nonprofits serving our community. By working closely with these organizations, who are bridging the gap between grassroots advocacy and long-term systems change, we hope to advance our North Star. We’re committed to standing alongside our grant partners, working intentionally toward a shared vision for racial, social and economic justice.
Fund For Community Good Over Time
1960
Grants focus on education, and the Community Foundation issues its largest gift to date: $50,000 to establish Grand Valley State College.
1990s
The Community Foundation grants about $3 million each year to a variety of nonprofit organizations.
1993
Volunteer partners lead the formation of a grant committee at the Community Foundation, creating greater community participation in funding decisions.
2003
The Nonprofit Technical Assistance Fund for Kent County, a collaborative program, is established. Through the fund, nonprofit organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000 to support capacity building or technical assistance.
2005
The Community Foundation Board of Trustees vote in 2005 to change the governance model from one of appointed members from various community entities to a board appointed model, an accepted practice in the community foundation field that removes potential conflicts of interest.
2008
The Encore initiative was designed to challenge conventional thinking about aging and to spark innovation among local nonprofit organizations. These efforts were established to ensure Kent County fully leverages the talent and expertise of people in mid-life and beyond.
2017
In a new approach to strategic planning, the Community Foundation developed and introduced its North Star.
2019
Grantmaking guidelines for the Fund for Community Good and Field of Interest funds are shifted, reflecting a commitment to racial, social and economic justice.
2020-present
Area nonprofits face new challenges and create innovative solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Foundation collaborates with government, grassroots and faith-based organizations to address immediate and long term impacts.
2024
Last year, thanks to the generosity of our donor partners and the growth of endowed funds, the Community Foundation was able to award $16.05 million in grants and scholarships. $4.8 million of that total were grants awarded through the Fund for Community Good.
