Partners in Progress
In April 2022, Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved four grant partnerships totaling $959,610 from the unrestricted Fund for Community Good. These grant partnerships were achievable through the collective generosity of our donor partners, who over the last century have contributed to unrestricted resources. These grants would not have been possible without the strength of the nonprofit community as it works to combat systemic racial, social and economic injustice and realize a more equitable future during Kent County’s next century. AFRICAN RESOURCE CENTER OF WEST MICHIGAN, $228,360 African Resource Center of West Michigan is a resource and service center for African immigrants in West Michigan. It informs, connects and equips its participants with specific people and resources to foster a flourishing community and increase prosperity within its clients’ cultural contexts. This grant award supports their work to provide resources for mental wellness and trauma informed care. GRAND RAPIDS PRIDE CENTER, $300,000 For 34 years, Grand Rapids Pride Center has been a community resource offering support groups, education and training opportunities. To dismantle historic inequities and adapt its services to align more closely with community needs, GRPC is implementing listening sessions, developing ways to receive feedback and implementing new strategies. This grant supports those community-wide engagements and strategic planning, their Therapy Assistance Fund and operational support for increasing staff capacity. PROJECT GREEN, $100,000 Project GREEN (Grassroots Economic Empowerment Network) helps Kent County families pursue their financial goals. This grant award invests in their efforts to support advocacy, education and convening partners around fair lending and economic empowerment for households with low- to moderate-income. RENDE PROGRESS CAPITAL, $331,250 Rende Progress Capital is a community development financial institution and the only equity-focused loan fund nationally. RPC provides loans, investments and support services to excluded entrepreneurs of color facing financing barriers due to racial bias and inequity. This grant partnership specifically supports their work to continue relief lending efforts for excluded entrepreneurs of color negatively impacted by COVID-19.
In the days and weeks after Patrick Lyoya’s death, $30,000 in immediate financial support was sent to a few community organizations from the Fund for Community Good. These partnerships included A Glimpse of Africa for community organizing and providing support to African refugee and immigrant communities, including the local Congolese community; Mental Health Clinicians of Color for partnering with the Black Impact Collaborative to offer healing circles in our community; West Michigan Congolese Community, to organize Congolese community activities; and the African Collaboration Network to support the Lyoya family. The Community Foundation will continue to adapt its response and continue to activate resources as our community seeks healing and systemic change.
More grant partnerships Field of Interest Funds offer another way for the Community Foundation to leverage its resources in partnership with community volunteers. Established through the estate of Mary Ives Hunting and the Youth Enrichment Fund, Access Camps is designed to improve access for youth of color and youth with disabilities to benefit from academic, social and recreational opportunities. This year $381,000 was awarded to camps for transportation and financial assistance to campers. In May, Black Legacy Fund (formerly African American Heritage Fund) awarded grant awards totaling $100,000 to 20 Black-led organizations. They made a separate $5,000 grant to Awake Incorporated (Renaissance Church of God in Christ) in support of Patrick Lyoya’s funeral costs. Learn more at GRFoundation.org/BlackLegacyFund.
The Youth Grant Committee recommended $100,000 from the Youth Fund to organizations whose proposals addressed equity and racial justice; youth access to mental health services and resources; and college and career preparation. You can learn more about YGC at GRFoundation.org/YGC.
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Shortly after being established this spring, Somos Comunidad Fund made introductory grants totaling $21,000 to 21 organizations primarily serving Latinx communities in West Michigan. Learn more about their work at GRFoundation.org/ SomosComunidad.