Grantmaking Priorities 2023
Our 2022 grantmaking process and priorities were informed by feedback gathered at community engagement sessions. Brigham Consulting detailed the process and themes from those sessions. See the whole report here.
Black Legacy Fund
Continuing our legacy
Our Black Legacy Fund, led by community volunteers, builds on the legacy of giving in Black communities in greater Grand Rapids. Support this cause today by contributing to Our Black Legacy Fund. You will have the opportunity to choose an endowed gift or non-endowed. Both ways of giving will help now and in the future. Click here to give today.
Want to volunteer with Black Legacy Fund?
Interest Forms Due June 12, 2023
There are currently two volunteer opportunities: Black Legacy Fund's Advisory Committee and a Fundraising Subcommittee. Each has distinct responsibilities, but you can show interest in either or both through this interest form.
Black Legacy Fund Advisory Committee’s current recruitment priorities include folks with expertise in the arts/creative space, youth development, entrepreneurship; deep lived experiences in greater Grand Rapids; and intersectional identities that include male-identifying, folks across the diaspora, immigrants, LGBTQ+ community members and ages 60+.
We invite interested individuals to complete the interest form and sign up for a meet and greet with our advisory committee on Tuesday, June 13. More information available upon receipt of interest form.
About Black Legacy Fund
Learn more about our work
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Committee Volunteers
Committee members include Denavvia Mojet (Co-Chair), Zahna Woodson(Co-Chair), Synia Jordan, Kessia Graves, Wardell Frazier and Kyle Kimble.
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Community Debrief
After our 2023 competitive grant awards were announced, Black Legacy Fund hosted a community debrief session to discuss the grantmaking process, decision making and grants awarded. Click here to watch the debrief.
2023 Grant Awards
Recipient
Amount
Date
Purpose
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1000 Families of Color
$24,000
To promote wealth building opportunities through financial literacy, career pathways, and homeownership education programming. This grant was made possible through additional support from the George M. Ames Fund.
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15 Pearls and a Promise
$44,500
Addressing food insecurity, mentoring, academic support, and cultural exposure programming for Black youth. This grant was made possible through additional support from the Armand F. and Gretchen B. Burch Fund, the Gordon and Janet Moeller, Food Security Fund and the Cherry (Mrs. James) Carpenter Fund for Children.
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A Glimpse of Africa
$100,000
General operating support for cultural celebrations and mental health programming in African immigrant and refugee communities. This grant was made possible through additional support from the George M. Ames Fund.
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BAM Talent
$110,000
Building a starting salary for an Artistic Director & funding proposed programming scheduling & staffing needs for the span of one calendar year. This grant was made possible through additional support from the Leonard and Eileen Newman Fund for the Arts.
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Battle Ground Jeet Kune Do, a program of Youth Fitness and Finance
$7,850
Culturally relevant financial literacy and fitness programming for Black youth.
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Better Wiser Stronger
$25,000
Supporting the Blue Collar program for young men of color in the areas of Trades to create a legacy to increase their opportunity for wealth.
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Beyond the City
$18,720
To help Black youth grow and explore the world outside of their own community through immersive travel experiences to sites featuring Black history and culture. This grant was made possible through additional support from the Cherry (Mrs. James) Carpenter Fund for Children.
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Black Youth Creatives
$16,150
To fund Black Youth Creatives free summer 2023 photography camp for Grand Rapid Public Schools students.
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Butterfly House
$30,000
To provide safe, affordable, and supportive housing opportunities for Black and Brown individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community and/or living with HIV.
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Cirque Boucle
$25,000
A mission-driven circus project to increase equity in the circus arts for children 10+ and their families in Grand Rapids’ most underserved neighborhoods. This grant was made possible through additional support from the Estate of Annette Richards.
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DOPE Black People
$22,100
To provide outlets through workshops and events for Black professionals who work in predominantly white spaces to reflect, network, and have dialogue about specific topics which directly impact Black people in the workplace. This grant was made possible through additional support from the Fund for Arts and Social Engagement and the Social Venture Investors Fund.
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Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid Network
$25,000
To provide mutual aid, direct giving support, and community care to Black communities. This grant was made possible through additional support from the George M. Ames Fund and Kathryn L. Adamson Fund for the Elderly.
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Grand Rapids United Rocket Football League
$55,000
Provide football and cheerleading programming to teach youth in Grand Rapids, sportsmanship, teamwork, respect, work ethic and great life skills; while providing them with a nurturing environment and education on the fundamentals of the game and life. This grant was made possible through additional support from the Healthy Youth & Healthy Seniors Fund.
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Motherland Business Coaching
$41,500
Mentor and empower African immigrant women to become thriving at home food entrepreneurs by providing tools, coaching, and community support.
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New Destiny Pathways
$23,500
Supporting the My Destiny program, which provides young women who have aged out of foster care with short-term housing opportunities and quarterly workshops on life skills, job skills, nutrition, wellness, and relationships to live a prosperous life.
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Respite for Wives
$10,000
For support group that help women of color identify, understand, acknowledge, and heal from compound, complex, and ensuing trauma to help them break the cycle of generational and inherited family trauma, and develop healthier emotional and mental health, families, and communities.
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The HUNT Chapter
$25,000
Weekly programming for teens and young women to grow self-esteem, mental health coping skills, cooking and etiquette skills, and provide volunteering and leadership opportunities to build strength and remove barriers to a wealthy life and legacy of wellness. This grant was made possible through additional support from the Fund for Children and the Cherry (Mrs. James) Carpenter Fund for Children.
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Together We Are Safe
$20,000
To build community and organizing within Black communities in the Greater Grand Rapids Area. This grant was made possible through additional support from the George M. Ames Fund.
2022 Relationship Building Grants
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Better, Wiser, Stronger
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Black Book Exchange Box
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Our Kitchen Table
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Endless Opportunities
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Legacy of Love LLC
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Grand Rapids Media Initiative and Film Incubator
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Young Money Finances
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Delta Project
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Aqume Foundation
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The Deborah House
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A Glimpse of Africa
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Be a Rose
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New Destiny Pathways
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Mirror Me Inc
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Black and Brown Cannabis Guild
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Mus(ed)
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Mental Health Clinicians of Color
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Succeeding While Achieving Greatness (SWAG)
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Dreams Take Work
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Meaning in Colors
Send us a message!
New name, same legacy
Our Black Legacy Fund
Over the last few years, the African American Heritage Fund committee members have been exploring the strengths, values and guiding posts of the fund's purpose. Through working with a consultant and deep conversations among the committee members, we are proud to announce the African American Heritage Fund has transitioned its title to our Black Legacy Fund. This intentional renaming is meant to honor the heritage of ancestors, invite a more inclusive understanding of Black communities in Kent County and create a legacy for future generations.