Essential Needs Task Force Fund

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Nonprofit Technical Assistance Fund

About the Fund

Due to the economic downturn, demand for assistance to meet basic needs for food, utilities, housing and transportation is skyrocketing. In response, area foundations established a temporary, flexible pool of funds to help address these escalating needs.The funding collaborative includes the Daniel & Pamella DeVos Foundation, Dick & Betsy DeVos Foundation, Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, Rich and Helen DeVos Foundation, DTE Energy Foundation, Dyer-Ives Foundation, Frey Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, M.E. Davenport Foundation, Neighbor to Neighbor Fund (City of Grand Rapids), Nokomis Foundation, Paine Family Foundation, Sebastian Foundation, Slemons Foundation, Steelcase Foundation, VanderWeide Family Foundation, Wege Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The effort aimed to be responsive to nonprofit organizations that are struggling to meet the needs of families in Kent County and efficient to avoid duplication of existing community initiatives. As a way to meet both objectives, participating foundations asked the Essential Needs Task Force and the Grand Rapids Community Foundation to facilitate the implementation of the newly established fund.

Grants were awarded to nonprofit organizations that address the primary focus of the ENTF including food, housing, utilities, transportation, and system infrastructure AND provide those services in a way that supports the overall philosophy of the ENTF. Visit www.accesskent.com/Health/ENTF to learn more about the ENTF and its approach to addressing basic needs. Ongoing funding and in-kind support for ENTF operations is provided by the Kent County Board of Commissioners, Kent County Department of Human Services, and the Heart of West Michigan United Way.

View a list of grants awarded through the ENTF Fund.

Criteria

Successful applicants demonstrated a clear and direct connection to the goals and strategies of the Essential Needs Task Force in at least one of the following categories:

Food Security – Ensuring area residents have access to safe and affordable food
Utility Assistance - Addressing utility emergencies, weatherization, conservation and education
Transportation - Providing economical, easily available transportation to meet basic needs
Housing – Providing access to safe, affordable, permanent housing while building the infrastructure to end homelessness.
System Infrastructure – Supporting the ENTF collaborative structure that will directly enhance delivery of basic needs crisis response services. This also includes support of ENTF initiatives that will assist those in need more effectively become self-sufficient and reduce future crisis situations.

Review Process

The ENTF Fund is being closed and is no longer accepting proposals.

If you have any questions, please contact: Kate Luckert Schmid, Program Director, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, 616.454.1751 or kluckert@grfoundation.org.