Recent Grants
Community priorities grants Awarded
This June we responded to requests from nonprofit partners addressing important community needs. Thanks to donors who look to the Community Foundation to make a difference close to home, $147,750 in grants have been awarded to nonprofits who work to make ours a thriving community.
Many organizations work together in Charlevoix County to ensure the overall health and well-being of residents of all ages. The Beaver Island Rural Health Center will purchase some items that will improve patient care and experience. The City of Charlevoix Recreation Department will use their grant to launch Charlevoix Fit, a new health and wellness initiative designed to increase physical activity outdoors. The City of Boyne City’s EMS department will purchase a special basket for performing remote rescues on local bike trails, responding to the rising need as trail systems expand.
Mental health is big part of overall health and well-being, and it’s getting a boost with two specific grants. Northern Michigan Equine Therapy uses the healing nature and movement of horses as a therapeutic tool to enhance independence, self-confidence, and quality of life for those living with physical and mental health needs. Their grant will help to support the therapy horses so that they can continue healing humans in Charlevoix County. Hospice of Michigan will use their grant toward their Grief Support Services, which are tailored to the unique, individual needs of those who are grieving.
Education provides a strong foundation for a community, from early childhood to post-secondary, and provides people with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. Char-Em ISD’s Great Start Collaborative and PoWer! Book Bags will both address education for our youngest residents. Great Start Collaborative will provide scholarships to families left out of other funding programs to help ensure that as many children as possible can attend quality preschool programs. PoWer! Book Bags provides literacy materials for families to read, play, write, and learn together. Providing these materials early on gives kids a boost for starting school.
On the other end of the school pipeline, students who want to get on the fast track to getting local jobs that pay a stable, livable wage will get a boost with the grant to North Central Michigan College. NCMC’s Fast Track programs are non-credit, short, intensive courses that are designed to get students the skills and knowledge they need, quickly, so that they can join the workforce. With course topics like healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades, and business, students will be able to help with the labor shortage by filling local jobs and at the same time earn a livable wage to support their families.
Protecting and caring for our area’s natural resources is another important piece of a healthy and thriving community. Little Traverse Conservancy will use their grant to acquire 56 acres of pristine forest on Lake Michigan and to build a universally accessible trail for all to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of nature. The Village of Boyne Falls is teaming up with Conservation Resource Alliance to determine the fate of a more than 100-year-old dam which is becoming unsafe. Their grant will help them develop educational materials about the dam, the problems, and possible solutions.
Public safety will get a boost with a grant to the City of Boyne City’s Police Department for the purchase of drones to assist in protection of life and preservation of property. Local journalism will also get backing, with a grant to the Beaver Island Historical Society to purchase some equipment necessary for the production of the Northern Islander newspaper.
Arts and history will also be supported through the Charlevoix Circle of Arts’s grant for arts programs, and the Northern Michigan Antique Fly Wheelers’s grant to replace their commercial grill, hopefully in time for this year’s festival at the end of July.
Finally, recreation and community facilities will benefit from grants to Challenge Mountain for new ski instructor jackets, to the Charlevoix Area Community Pool for lifeguard training and equipment, to Crooked Tree Arts Center for renovations to the community theater, to East Jordan Public Schools for repairs and renovations to Boswell Stadium, and to the East Jordan Ambulance Association for building expansion designs.
In all, 21 organizations received grants through this year’s Community Priorities grant cycle, totaling $147,750. To see the full list of grant awards from the 2023 Community Priorities grant cycle, see links below.
LIST OF RECENT GRANTS
When you give to Community Grantmaking Funds, you are providing for current and future projects happening right here at home. With grant cycles throughout the year, nonprofit partners, schools, and individual communities working in Charlevoix County have the opportunity to seek support for worthwhile places, programs, and projects.
For a complete list of grant awards, and additional information (summaries) about each grant, click on the links below.
2023 Community Priorities Grant Awards
2023 Environment & Land Use Grant Awards
2023 Arts & Culture Grant Awards
2022 Geographic Enrichment Grant Awards
2022 Urgent Needs Fund Grant Awards
In March of 2020, the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. and Michigan. The global health crisis not only caused hardship for those who became ill, but also had major economic impact, including for many Charlevoix County residents. The Community Foundation responded quickly by deploying Urgent Needs grants to organizations who were providing support for Charlevoix County residents who had been disproportionately impacted by the consequences of COVID-19. To date, grants totaling more than $240,000 have been awarded to nonprofit organizations serving Charlevoix County. Click here for a full list of grants.
Urgent Needs grants continue to be available to organizations who are helping Charlevoix County residents to access food, shelter, safety, healthcare, and otherwise assist with basic and urgent needs. To learn more about how to apply, click here. To donate to the Urgent Needs fund, click here.
MORE RECENT GRANTS
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