All News

  • 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 [...]

  • Posted on June 21, 2015 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

    Our Own Patron Saint

    During my 28 years at the Community Foundation, I’ve been honored to have met and worked with quite a few of Grand Rapids’ most noted philanthropists. Many of these individuals served as Grand Rapids Community [...]

  • Posted on June 02, 2015 – Posted by: Laurie Craft

    Grand Rapids' Homelessness Problem

    Last week, the Coalition to End Homelessness released the results of its annual Point in Time count and the numbers reflected a significant (15%) increase in the number of homeless individuals in our community on [...]

  • Posted on May 27, 2015 – Posted by: Roberta King

    Challenge Scholars Campaign Tops Goal

    Grand Rapids Community Foundation announced today that it has exceeded the $32 million goal for its innovative Challenge Scholars program by raising $33.6 million toward the first phase of building the scholarship endowment. The public [...]
  • Our LGBT Fund: Shelley Padnos and Carol Sarosik

    Posted on March 30, 2015 – Posted by: Roberta King

    Our LGBT Fund: Shelley Padnos and Carol Sarosik

    In August, 2014, Donor Advisors, Shelley Padnos and Carol Sarosik, created Our LGBT Fund , a Field of Interest Fund at the Community Foundation. It was created with a matching gift of $100,000. Through this [...]

  • Posted on January 28, 2015 – Posted by: Roberta King

    Impacting Kent County and beyond

    Sometimes we hear that Grand Rapids Community Foundation is all about the city of Grand Rapids. While we award a significant number of grants in the city, we also make grants across the county. And [...]

  • Posted on December 22, 2014 – Posted by: Marilyn Zack

    IRA Rollover Extended for 2014

    The IRA Charitable Rollover has been extended for 2014! This legislation was just passed a few days ago and there will be very short window in which you may be able to complete an IRA Charitable [...]

  • Posted on December 15, 2014 – Posted by: Roberta King

    One Hundred New Philanthropists: Laurie Finney Beard

    Like many people, her family’s influence shaped Laurie Finney Beard’s views about giving. She cites her father, whom she describes as generous with his time and financial support for many charitable organizations, as an important [...]

  • Posted on November 24, 2014 – Posted by: David Harrison

    Boomerang Giving Launches

    What if there was one thing everyone eligible for senior discounts could do today that would reap rewards for the rest of our lives?  The newly launched organization Boomerang Giving asks you to take the Boomerang [...]

  • Posted on November 17, 2014 – Posted by: Meredith Fennema

    The future of the IRA Charitable Rollover

    People 70 ½ and older are probably aware of the IRA Charitable Rollover that has been in play since 2006. In short, the rollover allows individuals aged 70½ and older to donate up to $100,000 from [...]