Search Through Grand Traverse County Grants for Nonprofits in Michigan

Charitable Contributions

Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. Throughout the year we receive a large number of requests from nonprofit organizations striving to make a positive impact, and we are thankful to be able to provide support to a variety of organizations and causes. While we would like to respond favorably to all requests, understandably, the needs are far greater than our allocated resources and we are unable to accommodate them all.

Warehouse Donations:

Warehouse donations are handled at the warehouse level - please consult your local warehouse for up-to-date information regarding their donations contacts and review process.

Grant Applications

If the request is under consideration, you may be contacted by staff for any additional information needed. Applications are reviewed within 4-6 weeks, and decisions are made based on several factors, including: type of program; identified community need not otherwise available; indication that evidenced based data will establish measurable results of intended outcomes; community collaboration; broad base of financial support; project budget and operating expenses.

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

About Us

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation began in 1992 when a group of community champions came together around a vision to give back to our five-county region then, now, and forever.

This vision lives on within our organization today as we continue supporting a variety of community need areas, including youth, arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services.

We do this by promoting giving, engaging in collaborative leadership, supporting nonprofit organizations through meaningful grants and local students through scholarships, and building endowments that make a lasting impact for generations to come.

To date, we have received more than $123 million in gifts and awarded over $65.7 million in grants and scholarships.

Healthy Youth and Healthy Seniors Endowment

The Healthy Youth and Healthy Seniors Endowment was established in compliance with an award from the State of Michigan Tobacco Settlement Partnership.

Grant awards support programs that improve the health of youth (birth - 18) and/or seniors (age 55 and older). These opportunities may include, but are not limited to, programs that focus on health and nutrition; family counseling; early childhood development; smoking prevention and cessation; daycare, preschool, and after school care. 

For example: 

Programs for healthy youth could include:

• smoking prevention and cessation and substance abuse
• violence and conflict resolution
• access to dental care
• community alternatives for recreation
• child care

Programs for healthy seniors could include:

• pharmaceuticals (i.e. access, cost, medication interaction)
• preventing and managing chronic disease (i.e. cancer, heart, lung, stroke)
• long term care alternatives (i.e. assisted living, respite care, family caregiver support)
• mental health and aging (i.e. substance abuse, depression)
• workforce and aging (i.e. age discrimination, continuing career opportunities)     

Joan Rajkovich McGarry Family Education Endowment

Joan Rajkovich McGarry served the Grand Traverse community - her home - throughout her lifetime, both professionally and as a volunteer. The focus of her service was always to make things better for families. She did that through teaching, advocacy and developing opportunities, both economic and educational.

The Joan Rajkovich McGarry Family Education Endowment supports the continuation and further development of programs and services to support Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties, related to family and consumer sciences.

Grantmaking Focus

Grant applications are accepted annually each Fall. Applications for programs and activities focused on nutrition and, in particular, school aged children and obesity issues, will be considered.

Program objectives may include, but are not limited to:

•  Education for students and families, including
  • Healthy choices for snacks/meals and consequences of unhealthy choices
  • Programs that educate about how to understand nutritional content in foods
  • Programs that educate about the preparation and preservation of food
• Physical activity for students and families
• Programs that represent the values of Home Economics (the study of our near environment: food, clothing, family, home and community).
  • A professional home economist possesses expertise which includes:
    • safe food handling,
    • nutrition,
    • parenting skills,
    • household management,
    • consumer buying,
    • housing, and leadership skills.
      • Home Economics is now known as Family and Consumer Sciences.

Together, we are meeting community needs across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.

We have a variety of grant opportunities available in the Fall from several different Endowments; one common grant application is submitted. 

Our Fall Grants provide funding to support a range of programs and services, including those that focus on education, the environment, youth, seniors, health and human services, and more. This year, we will award fall grants through 19 different endowments that we steward. 

Land Use and Conservation Planning Endowment

Established in 1997, in partnership with the C.S. Mott Foundation and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, the Land Use Conservation and Planning Endowment provides support for land use planning or land use stewardship activities. 

Grant awards supports programs or projects such as seminars and workshops; developing school programs that promote regional environmental or land use issues; assisting units of government in creating land conservation programs; watershed and wetlands conservation; and/or researching economic, environmental and social impact of land use and conservation planning. 

Fall Grants Application

Our Fall Grants provide funding to support a range of programs and services, including those that focus on education, the environment, youth, seniors, health and human services, and more. This year, we will award fall grants through 19 different endowments that we steward. 

Richard V. and Kimiko O. Williams Endowment

The Richard V. and Kimiko O. Williams Endowment was established to support programs and activities in Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties related to Great Lakes maritime heritage, history, and education; stewardship of the Great Lakes; environmental conservation, education, and land use, including recreation.

Together, we are meeting community needs across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.

We have a variety of grant opportunities available in the Fall from several different Endowments; one common grant application is submitted. 

Access to Recreation Endowment

The Access to Recreation Endowment was established in 2007 through a matching grant opportunity from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, as part of its Access to Recreation Initiative.

Grant awards provide support for recreational projects, programs, and opportunites that are focused on providing universal accessibility design, beyond basic ADA requirements.

Together, we are meeting community needs across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.

We have a variety of grant opportunities available in the Fall from several different Endowments; one common grant application is submitted. 

Our Fall Grants provide funding to support a range of programs and services, including those that focus on education, the environment, youth, seniors, health and human services, and more. This year, we will award fall grants through 19 different endowments that we steward. 

Campbell Endowment

The Campbell Endowment was established in 1996 with an anonymous gift from a donor with a heart for helping individuals achieve independence.

Grant awards support organizations and programs that promote self-sufficiency and that address needs in one or more of the following areas:

• Food,
• Health Care,
• Housing, and
• Childcare. 

Together, we are meeting community needs across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.

We have a variety of grant opportunities available in the Fall from several different Endowments; one common grant application is submitted. 

Northwest Michigan Osteopathic Endowment

Grant awards from the Northwest Michigan Ostepathic Endowment support medical professionals' education and other innovative health education, research and treatment programs, and programs/projects that respond to community health needs. 

Fall Field of Interest Grants

Together, we are meeting community needs across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.

We have a variety of grant opportunities available in the Fall from several different Endowments; one common grant application is submitted. 

Boys and Girls Club Endowment

The Boys and Girls Club of Grand Traverse Endowment provides support for programs and services that are consistent with the mission of the Boys and Girls Clubs to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. This can be achieved by providing a safe place for children to learn and grow; supporting ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals; providing life-enriching programs and character development experiences; and providing hope and opportunity.

Together, we are meeting community needs across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.

We have a variety of grant opportunities available in the Fall from several different Endowments; one common grant application is submitted. 

Grand Traverse Families in Action for Youth Endowment

The Grand Traverse Families in Action, an organization that was committed to serving youth and helping young people avoid substance abuse and violence, made a gift to establish the endowment in 2000. Though no longer an organization, the mission and vision of the organization continues through Grand Traverse Families in Action for Youth Endowment.

Grant awards support assisting Traverse City youth in avoiding substance abuse and violence.

About Us

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation began in 1992 when a group of community champions came together around a vision to give back to our five-county region then, now, and forever.

This vision lives on within our organization today as we continue supporting a variety of community need areas, including youth, arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services.

We do this by promoting giving, engaging in collaborative leadership, supporting nonprofit organizations through meaningful grants and local students through scholarships, and building endowments that make a lasting impact for generations to come.

To date, we have received more than $123 million in gifts and awarded over $69 million in grants and scholarships.

Jim Tompkins Endowment

The Jim Tompkins Endowment for Traverse City Youth was established in 2018 to meet the financial needs of and to advance the cause of youth in Traverse City. Grant awards support programs and projects that support youth.

The Traverse City Track Club Endowment supports projects and programs that align with the Track Club's mission: The Traverse City Track Club promotes and encourages health, fitness, fellowship, community service, family recreation and competition via running and walking. We welcome all ages and abilities.

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

About Us

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation began in 1992 when a group of community champions came together around a vision to give back to our five-county region then, now, and forever.

This vision lives on within our organization today as we continue supporting a variety of community need areas, including youth, arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services.

We do this by promoting giving, engaging in collaborative leadership, supporting nonprofit organizations through meaningful grants and local students through scholarships, and building endowments that make a lasting impact for generations to come.

To date, we have received more than $123 million in gifts and awarded over $65.7 million in grants and scholarships.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Fund

Our DEI Fund is dedicated to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties as well as the sovereign nation of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

We believe diversity encompasses, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, economic circumstances, zip code, age, health and ability status, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, resident or immigration status, national origin, veteran status, and religion. 

We are committed to using our leadership, resources, and voice to build toward a better future where all people across our region have equitable access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

About the DEI Fund

The DEI Fund supports diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the region, including primarily providing support for organizations led by Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, immigrant, neurodiverse, and/or disability community members. We will also consider DEI training and learning and other partners, programs, and opportunities promoting equity and inclusion.

Amount

Grant requests for up to $2,500 will be considered. Generally, grants to an organization will not exceed $2,500 in a given year.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Good Works Fund

The mission of the Good Works Fund is to support projects that address unmet needs in established priority areas within the Rotary Club of Traverse City’s service area — primarily Grand Traverse County. Grants are awarded in amounts not to exceed $5,000 to nonprofits organizations doing important work in our community.

Priority Funding Areas

• Arts and culture
• Basic human needs
• Education
• Environment
• Health and Safety
• Recreation

Project Priorities

• Capital expenditures
• Equipment
• One-time special opportunities/events
• Start-ups and new projects

Impact100 Traverse City collectively funds transformational grants in the areas of environment & recreation, education, arts & culture, family, and health & wellness in the five county area including Grand Traverse, Antrim, Leelanau, Benzie and Kalkaska.

• Arts & Culture
  • Charitable initiatives that cultivate, develop, educate, and improve the cultural climate within those five counties.
• Education
  • Charitable initiatives that further the ability to educate and improve education within those five counties.
• Environment & Recreation
  • Charitable initiatives that preserve, enhance, revitalize, or restore facilities and surroundings within those five counties.
• Family
  • Charitable initiatives that strengthen and enhance the lives of children and families within those five counties.
• Health & Wellness
  • Charitable initiatives that positively impact the mental or physical health and wellness of the people within those five counties.

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Youth Endowment

Our Youth Endowment supports youth causes and organizations across our region. These grants are open to organizations across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

The total amount available for grants in 2024 is $105,000 or $21,000 per county. Applicants may request funding from one or more counties for up to $5,000 per county.

Grant applications are reviewed by local students from our Youth Advisory Councils, representing all five counties.