Grants
Grantmaking Priorities
The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation will consider grants that seek to enhance the quality of life and promote a healthy, inclusive, collaborative, and diverse community in Northwest Ottawa County.
Click the icons below to learn more about our individual priorities and how you can help support their funds!
Grant Application Process
The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation is proud of our role as a community grantmaker. We aim to increase the capacity of the nonprofit sector by making strategic community investments in programs that advance our mission of improving and enhancing the Northwest Ottawa County area.
Step 1: Submit a Letter of Inquiry
If you have an idea for a project, you may submit a Letter of Inquiry at any time. We recommend that you submit your Inquiry a minimum of 4-6 weeks before the grant deadline.
Step 2: Letter of Inquiry Reviewed
Within 2 weeks of submission, our team will review your Letter of Inquiry to determine whether the project aligns with our grantmaking priorities, then respond to you.
Step 3: Complete a Grant Application
Your Letter of Inquiry helps determine whether the project aligns with our grantmaking priorities. If eligible, the appropriate grant application will be made available to you through the online application portal.
Step 4: Grant Applications Reviewed
Our team conducts a thorough due diligence process on all submitted grant applications. A site visit may be scheduled prior to review by our Grants Committee.
Funding Eligibility
Please consider whether your organization meets the following requirements:
- Has a current 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS, is a unit of government, or a religious or educational institution.
- Serves the Northwest Ottawa County or greater West Michigan region.
- Addresses one or more of the foundation’s grantmaking priorities of funding sources for the program or project in order to demonstrate sustainability.
Important Dates
for GHACF grants
November 20, 2019 – Letter of Inquiry Due
January 2, 2020 – Grant Deadline
February 27, 2020 – Notification
February 19, 2020 – Letter of Inquiry Due
April 1, 2020 – Grant Deadline
May 29, 2020 – Notification
August 19, 2020 – Letter of Inquiry Due
September 30, 2020 – Grant Deadline
December 4, 2020 – Notification
Technical Assistance Grant Program
The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation has a Technical Assistance Grant Program designed to assist nonprofit agencies in their efforts to build their organization’s internal capacity and effectiveness and fund activities that increase the success and impact of the organization’s programs. Applications may be submitted at any time for consideration. It is recommended that potential grantees call the Foundation to discuss their project prior to submitting an application. Please allow at least 4 weeks for the Foundation to consider your application.
Technical Assistance Grants will not be made for the following activities:
- General operating support
- Equipment/hardware purchase
- Construction or rehabilitation of facilities
- Emergency repairs
- Payroll needs
- Debt liquidation
- Routine financial audits
Youth Grant Program
The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council awards grants annually to support local programs and projects that work to expand programming and opportunities for the young people in our community.
The same grant process and guidelines apply, however, please ensure your inquiry addresses one or more of the YAC Grantmaking Guidelines. Larger youth-focused grants may be reviewed by both the Grants Committee and the Youth Advisory Council for a co-funding opportunity.
Important Dates
April 1, 2020 – Grant Deadline
May 29, 2020 – Notification
September 30, 2020 – Grant Deadline
December 4, 2020 – Notification
For questions about the grant portal or our grantmaking process and guidelines, contact our Vice President of Grants & Program, Holly Cole.
Grant Impact Stories
Emergency Grants During COVID-19
Over the course of ten weeks, the community coalition that we formed together with the Greater Ottawa County United Way, the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area, and other organizations has raised $872,679 for the Emergency Human Needs Fund, and awarded over 100 grants to area nonprofit organizations that are continuing to address the increase in basic human needs throughout the county. Here are a few stats:
Grant Recipient: Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance
LNA’s primary focus is to listen to the needs, challenges, and frustrations of local nonprofit organizations and work to provide high-quality, low-cost benefits and services in response. They believe that collaboration is such a key part of the solution that they include “by working together” as part of their Mission Statement. “We work together with our nonprofit partners to do good work,” said Patrick Cisler, Executive Director of LNA. “None of us can succeed in isolation.”
The Impact of Giving Back
We say it a lot: we can’t do any of the work we do without the generosity of people like you supporting for-impact partners in our community through our Greatest Needs and Field of Interest Funds. Below are a few stories from recent grant recipients that were made possible because of your donations.