Grand Rapids Community Foundation

📣 Career Opportunity! 📣 Grand Rapids Community Foundation is hiring for a community giving manager. In this full-time role, the community giving manager will lead, advance and maintain relationships with assigned fund advisory committees to ensure continued growth and impact through fundraising, grantmaking and growing community partnerships. They will provide comprehensive support, consultation and project management to the committees. If you are excited about supporting Black Legacy Fund, Somos Comunidad Fund, Our LGBTQ Fund and the Youth Fund this may be a good fit for you! To learn more and apply please visit GRFoundation.org/Careers

Join us in welcoming La'Shawnda Smith to Grand Rapids Community Foundation as the executive assistant! La'Shawnda started last week in her role and will provide support to the Office of the President & CEO on all Community Foundation activities, including serving as a liaison to senior leadership and the Board of Trustees. She brings 15 years of experience in office administration and assisting various levels of management, including work with organizations like Hospice of Michigan and Nexus Technology Service. La'Shawnda has a heart for serving others. We are so grateful to have her join the Community Foundation team!

From its first grant to today, our Youth Grant Committee has awarded more than $1.6 million to local nonprofits with programs supporting youth. Read about the process they use to make grant decisions and what students are saying about their involvement with the YGC: https://ow.ly/kfj850Su5AL

In this nonprofit spotlight from our magazine PARTNERS in community, learn more about United Methodist Community House, which has been supported by the Community Foundation through various grants, including support from our Donor Advised Funds, over the years. Learn more about UMCH's intergenerational model that begins with expanding childcare, as well as the organization's capital campaign. Read the article here: https://ow.ly/IW5E50Sl3r4

Each issue of PARTNERS in community, Grand Rapids Community Foundation's magazine, begins with a column from our president and CEO. In the most recent issue, LaSandra Gaddy explores the theme of this issue and shares about her experiences meeting many of you over the past few months. Read the column on page 3 and the entire magazine at GRFoundation.org/PARTNERS

Dive into the spring/summer issue of PARTNERS in community, a magazine by Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Our "How We Give" series continues with donor partner and Metz Legacy Society member Bob Zylstra and his philanthropy journey. We talk with United Methodist Community House about their current and future projects and share an update from our Youth Grant Committee. We hope you will be inspired - read the entire magazine at GRFoundation.org/PARTNERS

Learn more about how you can support community philanthropy today and for the future in this article about Michigan's Charitable Giving Tax Credit.

Our LGBTQ Fund is celebrating Pride Month by announcing $100,000 in grant awards! Learn more about the grant awards process on our website at GRFoundation.org/LGBTQFund

After 32 impactful years with Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Ruth Bishop is entering retirement next week. Join us in congratulating and celebrating Ruth as she finishes the last few days of her incredible tenure. Ruth has been focused on education and supporting students throughout her entire career. After working in various general and special education positions, she joined the Community Foundation in 1992. Here she has been responsible for administering awards for over 80 scholarship funds and local efforts targeting education supports and college access for all students. We are grateful for the many years of dedication Ruth brought to the Community Foundation. Ruth shared she will miss all the wonderful volunteers, staff, donor and school partners and students she has worked with, but looks forward to volunteering and spending time with family in her retirement. Congratulations on your retirement, Ruth!

Youth are leaders of the future and today, engaging in courageous conversations, embracing differences and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the state. Grand Rapids Community Foundation is supporting its Youth Grant Committee (YGC) in changing its own practices to be more inclusive of the entire community. In this Community Feature from CMF’s digital 2023 Annual Report, Embracing Differences & Bridging Divides, learn more about how the community foundation and the YGC are advancing inclusivity by improving the ways it conducts its grantmaking and needs assessment. https://lnkd.in/gw8rRYzF