Insights

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  Posted on April 02, 2017 – Posted by: Amanda St. Pierre

  A Planned Gift Mystery Solved

  From time to time, we receive unexpected bequests from kind strangers.  A few years ago, Grand Rapids Community Foundation was named beneficiary of a life insurance policy held by Joy Brown Baker. It was a [...]

• Posted on March 27, 2017 – Posted by: Lisa Rose

  It's Not About the Stuff, it's About the People You Love

  By Lisa M. Rose January 29, 2017. Sitting at my desk, I look at my calendar and see the reminder to contact my attorney. Correction, my mother's attorney. I assemble a few papers and make [...]
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  Posted on March 24, 2017 – Posted by: Roberta King

  Four Simple Ways to do Good With a Planned Gift

  A planned gift is a charitable donation from your will or other portion of your estate, and, for many people, is the largest gift they’ll ever make. But, if the idea of a gift from [...]

• Posted on March 10, 2017 – Posted by: Lauretta Murphy

  Death + Taxes Here's Advice to Help Understand One of Them

  by Lauretta Murphy, attorney, Miller Johnson Benjamin Franklin famously said: "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Two types of taxes may apply to your property after you die—state [...]

• Posted on February 16, 2017 – Posted by: Amanda St. Pierre

  Local Funders Collaborate to Help Grow Healthy Nonprofits

  This year marks 15 years for the Nonprofit Technical Assistance (NPTA) Fund. This Fund represents a broad collaboration that has included 14 Grand Rapids-area funders. Since its inception, the NPTA Fund has awarded [...]
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  Posted on February 06, 2017 – Posted by: Roberta King

  Grand Rapids Gets a Little Greener

  It isn’t often that there is an opportunity to create a significant green space in a growing community. And as Grand Rapids continues to the lead the state in population and housing growth, there remains [...]
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  Posted on December 06, 2016 – Posted by: Amanda St. Pierre

  KConnect – The Ultimate Duh!

  Caring for our community and the people who live here is part of our DNA as Grand Rapidians. When we see a need, we do something to address it.  More often than not, our approach [...]
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  Posted on December 01, 2016 – Posted by: Roberta King

  Giving Tuesday, is it Worth it?

  Earlier this week it was Giving Tuesday and Grand Rapids social media was all a buzz with giving promotion and nonprofit endorsements. Even if you don’t “do” Facebook, you might have received an email or [...]
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  Posted on October 10, 2016 – Posted by: Jessica Ledesma

  Whose Etiquette Matters?

  Insight by Jessica Ledesma, Challenge Scholars Assistant I could never describe what it felt like to “not belong” until my junior year of high school when I was invited to attend a Rotary luncheon featuring a State [...]
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  Posted on September 12, 2016 – Posted by: Roberta King

  More Trees=A Better Community for All

  In her State of the City address, Mayor Rosalyn Bliss called attention to a citywide goal of achieving 40 percent tree canopy as core to our city’s environmental sustainability and her work as mayor. In full [...]

• Posted on September 12, 2016 – Posted by: Roberta King

  2016 Scholarship Awards

  This year, Grand Rapids Community Foundation awarded 630 scholarships to students and awards totaled $1,148,150. “We are pleased to be able to award over $1 million for the third consecutive year,” said Grand Rapids Community Foundation Education Program Officer Ruth [...]

• Posted on August 26, 2016 – Posted by: Nicole Winter

  Involve Me and I Learn

  “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” What Benjamin Franklin was describing is what we now call experiential learning. Today marks my last day as Grand [...]