Insights

Posted on January 14, 2019 – Posted by:

How to Make Your Scholarship Essay Stand Out

Through these essay tips, you will be able to create a strong essay about yourself for the scholarship application.
Posted on December 29, 2018 – Posted by:

Hopes and Dreams for 2019

What are you most proud of in 2018? What are you striving for or working toward in 2019? The end of the year is a time for reflection, but also for dreaming and hoping. Here at Grand Rapids [...]
Posted on December 21, 2018 – Posted by:

Four Tax Friendly Charitable Giving Strategies

Recent changes to the tax law have people wondering if they should change their charitable giving strategies. While the law is changing how charitable giving is deducted for some individuals, there are several beneficial giving [...]
Posted on December 20, 2018 – Posted by:

Annual Report 2017-2018

2017-2018 Annual Report A community is defined by the people who call it home. Our community has the potential to be anything we want it to be. There is potential everywhere in West Michigan—potential that can break [...]
Posted on December 14, 2018 – Posted by:

PARTNERS in Community, Winter 2018

This winter’s PARTNERS in community focuses on legacy. Below you will find a few links to featured articles, but click here to read the entire magazine! You’ll read stories of two leaders making an impact [...]
Posted on December 04, 2018 – Posted by:

Youth in Philanthropy

This past October, Rob Collier, former president of the Council for Michigan Foundations, invited me to be a closing plenary speaker for the CMF Annual Conference. The featured speaker for the event was Frans Johansson [...]
Posted on November 20, 2018 – Posted by:

Why I Give: A Conversation with Jenine Torres

For nearly a century, Grand Rapids Community Foundation has been in the business of understanding our community’s needs. Sometimes, as a development officer, I wonder how our founders could even comprehend the impact this organization [...]
Posted on November 16, 2018 – Posted by:

California Wildfires 2018: How You Can Help

The 2018 wildfire season has devastated communities throughout California due to high temperatures and dry conditions. The Camp Fire in Butte County is the deadliest and most destructive in California history with a death toll in [...]
Posted on November 09, 2018 – Posted by:

2018 Jack Chaille Community Philanthropy Award Recipients: Carol Sarosik and Shelley Padnos

At the 2018 Grand Rapids Community Foundation Donor Celebration, Carol Sarosik and Shelley Padnos were awarded with the 2018 Jack Chaille Community Philanthropy Award. Carol and Shelley are transformational leaders. Learn more about this power couple and the [...]
Posted on May 29, 2018 – Posted by:

Organizing Your Legacy

Organizing your estate plan is an act of love for your family and your community. We know that the task can seem daunting when you begin to consider how many details there are to track [...]
Posted on May 21, 2018 – Posted by:

Simple and Inexpensive Ways to Do Good Through Planned Giving

The most common way to leave a gift at the end of your life is through a simple bequest in your will. But if the idea of a gift from your will conjures up visions [...]
Posted on January 26, 2018 – Posted by: Ashley Lee

Remembering John Canepa

We are saddened by the recent passing of John Canepa. He was a dear friend to many in our community, and is especially loved by Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Grand Rapids and West Michigan’s growth is [...]