GHACF responds to ongoing need during pandemic with 14 grants

The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation (GHACF) has granted $223,927 from its Community Relief & Recovery (CR&R) Fund to 14 area for-impact organizations serving individuals, families, and communities most impacted by COVID-19. 

The CR&R Fund was created in June in response to the growing need in Northern Ottawa County due to the pandemic. It enables the foundation, fundholders, and donors to pool resources to collectively support the ongoing relief and recovery of for-impact organizations that have been adversely affected by COVID-19, and that continue to play a critical role in caring for individuals and families. 

“Broad community support allows the foundation to continue to invest in our community in a flexible and impactful way that addresses an expansive range of critical needs, including future needs that cannot be anticipated,” says Hadley Streng, President at the GHACF. “We are also grateful to our partner organizations who continue to do all that they can to provide critically important services to individuals within our community during this time of increased need.”

Winter always brings a higher level of need in the community, and the pandemic has only amplified that, adds Holly Cole, Vice President of Grants and Program. 

“Many of our partners are striving to simply maintain operations, while others have been required to greatly expand their capacity, all while complying with critical health and safety standards that have unfortunately limited their opportunities to generate revenue and fundraise,” Cole says.

Grant awards

The following grants were awarded from the Community Relief & Recovery Fund to 14 organizations for their core operations, which will allow them to continue supporting our communities:

• Arbor Circle — $15,000 for Mental and Behavioral Health Services in northwest Ottawa County, which will include further reducing barriers to treatment for individuals that may be under- or uninsured. 
• Bethany Christian Services Grand Haven Office — $5,000 for its Client Assistance Fund, which is designed to meet the tangible needs of clients and families receiving services. Support may include food and nutrition, personal hygiene products, and COVID-19 supplies.  
• Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging — $22,500 for the Home Care Program, which provides care to the vulnerable senior population, and the participation of senior citizens who are otherwise unable to afford services.
• Hand2Hand — $20,000 to purchase food for 6,000 “backpacks” provided to more than 250 area students for nourishment over the weekends within Spring Lake and Grand Haven area schools.
• Loutit District Library — $9,950 for the purchase of acrylic shields and UV cleaning devices to further improve the safety of library members, as well as the acquisition of additional mobile hotspot devices to meet the demands of area students and adults learning and working remotely. 
• Love In Action — $23,218 to support the collaborative Housing Costs and Case Management Program, which provides support to local families, regardless of religious affiliation or beliefs, who are unable to meet rent, mortgage, or utility payments. 
• Momentum Center, on behalf of the Ottawa County Suicide Prevention Coalition — $8,000 for countywide mental health awareness resources that are available to those who may be homebound or do not have internet access. 
• No One Lives Alone — $10,000 to support the continued operations of Bernice’s House, a sober living program in Grand Haven. The grant will fund cleaning supplies and PPE, help provide residents access to technology for virtual engagement, and provide staff training and support for co-occurring disorders.
• Northwest Ottawa Recreation Authority — $25,000 to support basic operating expenses, which are normally supported from programming fees.
• Ottagan Addictions Recovery (OAR) — $10,000 toward the creation and implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Clinic in the Grand Haven office. MAT supports the treatment of opioid use disorders and maintaining long-term recovery. 
• Resilience: Advocates for Ending Violence — $5,259 for Shelter and Emergency Housing.
• The Little Red House Inc. — $20,000 for the creation of an Infection Control / Quarantine Room as required to reopen and safely provide adult daycare services.
• The Salvation Army of Grand Haven — $25,000 to support the Emergency Shelter Program.
• Tri-Cities Family YMCA — $25,000 to support continued operations and critical community services.

Since June, the GHACF has awarded more than $820,000 from the Community Relief & Recovery Fund, which was created as a second-phase response to the current and long-term impact that COVID-19 will have on individuals, families, and for-impact partners within Northern Ottawa County. 

Accepting donations 

The first-phase response — a collaborative effort from mid-March through May — awarded more than $900,000 from the Emergency Human Needs Fund to area nonprofit organizations.

The GHACF is continuing to accept donations to the Community Relief & Recovery Fund. Donations can be made on the GHACF’s Donation Page, or by mailing a check (with CR&R Fund in the memo line) to the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation at One South Harbor Drive, Grand Haven, MI 49417. 

The foundation is a public, charitable organization serving the Northwest Ottawa County community since 1971. GHACF is regularly recognized as a top 100 Community Foundation in the nation and is the eighth-largest community foundation in the state of Michigan. It encourages philanthropy by individuals, families, corporations, and organizations, and serves as a steward of their charitable funds and legacies. 

In addition to awarding grants, the foundation offers technical support to nonprofits, convenes community leaders on issues of importance, and advocates for the nonprofit sector. The Allendale Community Foundation and Coopersville Area Community Foundation are affiliates of the GHACF. For more information, visit ghacf.org.