The Greenville Area Community Foundation (GACF) is pleased to announce the first recipients of its newly launched Strategic Grant Cycle. This inaugural cycle focused on addressing important community needs while prioritizing innovative, sustainable projects that will enhance quality of life throughout Montcalm and Ionia Counties.

“The Foundation Board wanted to expand our grantmaking into targeted areas where we could create meaningful impact,” shared GACF Grant Chair Dave Seppala. “In this grant cycle, we emphasized collaboration between organizations focused on Youth and Families, Community Development, and Arts and Culture. These projects offered solutions that will benefit our area for years to come.”

Following a competitive review process, the Foundation awarded grant funding to the following initiatives:

• $50,000 – Danish Festival Tivoli Square Stage Project
  Funding will support the land preparation and building of a community stage that will provide opportunities for arts, culture, and community engagement for performances, youth development, and cultural events accessible to the entire community. The grant was funded by the Stanley and Blanche Ash Community Improvement Fund, Bill Braman Family Fund, and the GACF Unrestricted Fund.

• $25,000 – IM Kids 3^rd Meal Feeding Futures Initiative
  Funded by the Stanley and Blanche Ash Community Improvement Fund, Bill Braman Family Fund, and Grace Sagendorf Education Fund, this grant supports the purchase the equipment necessary to expand free meal distribution to help reduce childhood food insecurity in Ionia and Montcalm Counties by 25% over the next three years.

• $5,606 – IM SAFE CAC Medical Exam Space
  Grant funding will support the development of an urgent medical exam space in partnership with the Michigan Mobile Forensics 1 SANE Program to provide specialized exams locally and free of charge. This grant was made possible by the Ray J. and Mary G. Tower Family Fund and Tom and Chris Kohn Family Fund.

• $23,980 – Lakeview Community Wellness Center Outdoor Basketball & Pickleball Courts Project
  In collaboration with the Lakeview Youth Basketball and Gus Macker Lakeview Organization, the grant will contribute to the development of Lakeview’s first outdoor combination basketball and pickleball court. The grant was awarded through the Access to Recreation Fund.

• $5,000 – EightCAP Childcare Facility Visioning Project
  Supported by the Grace Sagendorf Education Fund, the grant will support the development of conceptual designs for a Greenville shared-space childcare facility, enabling community stakeholders to work toward long-term solutions to the local childcare shortage.

• $140,000 – City of Greenville Storage Solution
  Through grant funding, the City of Greenville will expand an existing storage building near the Greenville Area Community Center to create a permanent shared storage space for the Flat River Community Players (FRCP) and Hans Christian Andersen Theater (HCAT), providing safe, reliable space for storing costumes, props, and set pieces as well as a set building area. Grant support was provided by the Bill Braman Family Fund, Stanley and Blanche Ash Community Improvement Fund, and Tom and Chris Kohn Family Fund.

The mission of the Greenville Area Community Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in the greater Greenville area. Since its inception in 1989, GACF and its affiliate funds have awarded over $22 million in grant funding to local nonprofit organizations. To learn more about grant opportunities, click here.