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It’s About Community: Fall 2016 Grant Awards

<November 7, 2016>  The Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County (CFMC) recently approved grant awards to a variety of community organizations in support of projects throughout Muskegon County. A total of $106,895 was awarded from Unrestricted and Field of Interest Funds through the competitive application process, overseen by numerous volunteer committees.

“The programs supported by these grants reflect the diversity of our community and all fall under the Foundation’s strategic leadership goals: building an inclusive community, creating hope and opportunity for our children, and supporting collaborative community goals and decision-making,” said Janelle Mair, CFMC director of grantmaking.

Highlights of the grants include:

  • Muskegon Family YFCA was awarded $10,000 from the Youth Field of Interest Fund to expand their Safety Around Water program to include third graders from Muskegon and Muskegon Heights. Students will learn beach, boat, pool, and ice safety, water rescue and swim instruction.
  • C III received a grant of $10,000 from the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council to expand the local Young Brothers program, a youth mentorship that engages men of color (ages 12 – 20) in monthly meetings and community services projects.
  • Pathways, MI received $12,000 from the Youth Field of Interest Fund to expand the Total TrekQuest program in Muskegon County targeting boys (3rd through 5th grades) who may not otherwise participate in sports. The program combines the structure of training for a 5K with lessons to develop skills like goal-setting, problem-solving, and healthy decision making. This grant also helps make the program accessible to at-risk and low income families in Muskegon County.
  • Montague Area Public Schools received a grant of $6,500 from the White Lake Community Fund for Drawing Helping Reading, a joint project with Whitehall Schools to integrate classroom experiences with artists, book illustrators, authors, and writing objectives from the state standards to enhance students’ understanding of text and vocabulary.
  • Muskegon Area Robotics Students (MARS) received a grant of $10,000 from the Muskegon County Medical Society Endowment Fund to purchase a CNC Plasma Cutter for the use of Muskegon Robotics teams as part of the Computer-Aided Manfuacturing Skills Development program.

Grant applications are accepted twice each year, once in the spring and again in the fall. Nonprofit organizations interested in seeking grant support from the Community Foundation are encouraged visit www.cffmc.org/grants for additional information about the process.  A complete list of fall 2016 grant awards is available here.