Insights

• Posted on September 28, 2015 – Posted by: Kara Kuntz

  Create a College-Going Culture: Support First-Generation Student Success

  George Davis has seen the triumphs and struggles of countless incoming freshmen. As associate director of admissions at Grand Valley State University, George oversees The Oliver Wilson Freshman Academy Program. The Freshman Academy Program goal [...]

• Posted on September 24, 2015 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  Toward a Racism-Free Grand Rapids

  In July I was on a panel hosted by Partners for a Racism-Free Community. The organization’s vision is a community where racial and ethnic disparities are eliminated so all people are accepted and included as [...]

• Posted on September 24, 2015 – Posted by: Meredith Fennema

  The Road to Success: Supporting First Generation College Students through High School and Beyond

  As part of the Challenge Scholars initiative, Tracy Benjamin serves as College and Career Coordinator at Union High School. We recently caught up with Tracy to learn more about how she helps high schoolers who [...]

• Posted on September 16, 2015 – Posted by: Meredith Fennema

  Scholarships for Success

  Since 1945, thanks to hundreds of donors and community members who believe in making college a reality for Kent County students, we've awarded more than $12.9 million in scholarships. In 2015, 56% of scholarship recipients [...]

• Posted on August 25, 2015 – Posted by: Kara Kuntz

  Survey Says Pt. 3: Myth Busters

  Five Myths about Grand Rapids Community Foundation: BUSTED MYTH 1: Grand Rapids Community Foundation is all about Grand Rapids. We fund all of Kent County. This map shows how the Foundation impacts Kent County and beyond. MYTH 2 [...]

• Posted on August 24, 2015 – Posted by: Kara Kuntz

  Survey Says... Pt. 2

  These next five findings put our survey respondents to the test. We asked respondents what causes they think Grand Rapids Community Foundation supports. Let’s see how they did: If you were one of the many survey [...]

• Posted on August 20, 2015 – Posted by: Kara Kuntz

  Survey Says... Pt. 1

  Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s vision of a magnetic and interconnected West Michigan isn’t possible without the input of many perspectives. Our social survey received 350 responses this year.. Thank you for taking the survey and [...]

• Posted on July 27, 2015 – Posted by: Meredith Fennema

  How Will You Be a Changemaker?

  The Grand Rapids community is doing amazing things when it comes to reentry, and we need your help spreading the word and getting involved to make sure this good work continues. When someone is away in [...]

• Posted on July 20, 2015 – Posted by: Meredith Fennema

  Five Facts, Five Friends - Spread the Word about Reentry

  Too often, people who have a criminal record are dismissed and shunned by the community from where they once lived. Returning citizens might be the most marginalized group in our society. But we know our [...]

• Posted on July 13, 2015 – Posted by: Jamie Riehle

  An Inside Look at New Beginnings Program for Returning Citizens

  *A special thank you to Jamie Riehle, today's guest author and Mentor Coordinator for Women's Resource Center's New Beginnings program. Our Board of Trustees recently approved a $52,000 grant so incarcerated women can get jobs [...]

• Posted on July 06, 2015 – Posted by: Kara Kuntz

  Youth Employment Initiative Grant- An Inside Look at How Grantmaking Happens

  Thanks to a grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), Grand Rapids Community Foundation is able to help local nonprofits fund youth employment for another summer. A grant recommendations committee met earlier this month to decide which [...]

• Posted on June 23, 2015 – Posted by: Shaun Shira

  Considering Your Philanthropic Journey

  Donors give for a variety of reasons. For some, the mission of the nonprofit aligns with their values. For others, a life experience may have influenced where they direct their philanthropic support. Some donors simply [...]