Displaying items tagged: nonprofits

After seven years at the helm of Blandford Nature Center, President and CEO Jason Meyer announced earlier this month that he will be stepping away from his post at the end of the year.

Grand Valley State University’s Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy has launched a new endowment to support professional development at local nonprofits that may not have the resources to grow.

GRAND RAPIDS — Community development organization LINC UP has named LaKiya Thompson Jenkins as the nonprofit’s new executive director.

A recent $400 million donation to the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence has again raised questions about Michigan’s municipal funding model and broader issues around philanthropy paying for basic governmental services.

The Food Bank Council of Michigan is partnering with state officials and local food banks to help reduce food insecurity among senior residents, an ongoing problem that was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KALAMAZOO — City officials announced today that the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence has received an anonymous $400 million donation to support the nonprofit’s mission to continue providing key city services without increasing local taxes.

Alison Freas saw the opportunity to lead a Grand Rapids nonprofit focused on career development as a broader platform for her longtime work in the private sector. Freas, who begins her new role as executive director of Grand Rapids-based The SOURCE on July 26, has a decade’s worth of experience in various human resources roles at Herman Miller Inc., most recently as manager of career development. Formed in 2003, The SOURCE now partners with roughly 20 area companies to promote employee retention and advancement through specific job training, personal growth classes and other support services to help employees overcome workforce barriers. Freas spoke with MiBiz about her goal to expand The SOURCE’s partnerships in the region and lessons learned from the pandemic.

New research from Grand Valley State University is shining an unusual spotlight on the spending activity of donor advised funds, an emerging philanthropic tool that’s gaining speed with relatively little regulatory oversight.

BYRON TWP. — Special Olympics Michigan Inc. has launched the public phase of a capital campaign to raise $20 million to transform the former South Christian High School into what would be the largest Special Olympics facility in the world.

A new legislation session in Lansing this year has brought another attempt to reinstate tax credits for charitable contributions to homeless shelters, food kitchens, food banks or community foundations.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major shifts in philanthropic giving last year as human services organizations benefited and small-level donors increased, according to a recent report from global nonprofit Giving Tuesday.

MUSKEGON — Leadership at the Frauenthal Center stepped back in 2019 to administer a full architectural assessment of the historic performing and events center, which has endured nine decades of consistent wear and tear.

KALAMAZOO — The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts recently received a $65,000 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art as part of a nationwide initiative.

For nearly 13 years, Jeremy DeRoo has played an integral role in seeking equity within disadvantaged Grand Rapids neighborhoods, particularly when it comes to housing and development opportunities.

GRAND RAPIDS —The Dwelling Place board of directors has selected Jeremy DeRoo as the nonprofit housing developer’s next CEO.

GRAND RAPIDS — A trio of nonprofits are partnering to develop a roughly $5 million facility this fall to help meet ongoing needs for early childhood education in a historically disadvantaged part of the city.

GRAND RAPIDS — Faith-based homeless shelter Mel Trotter Ministries has raised $9.8 million so far as part of a nearly $15 million capital campaign to upgrade and expand housing resources and bolster its workforce development program.

Amway Corp. and the David & Carol Van Andel Family Foundation last week announced a total of $750,000 to support COVID-19 relief efforts in India, where the country is seeing its worst surge yet overtake its health system.

Jazz McKinney started as executive director of the Grand Rapids Pride Center on March 15 after previously serving as the organization’s interim director and chair of its Transgender and Gender-Non-Conforming Committee. Originally from Detroit, McKinney — who uses they/them/their pronouns — is a Grand Valley State University graduate and longtime Grand Rapids resident.

Soon after the COVID-19 outbreak and ensuing stay-at-home order hit Michigan last spring, Ann Arbor tech entrepreneur Joe Malcoun formed a philanthropic venture to help restaurants and frontline workers.

KALAMAZOO — The Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition has taken ownership of the 168-year-old First Baptist Church downtown and seeks to raise millions of dollars for renovations and expanded programming.

WEST OLIVE — Ottawa County has hired an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit research organization owned by Michigan public universities to analyze local broadband internet service, identify gaps and recommend potential cures.

GRAND RAPIDS — The city of Grand Rapids is partnering with the Grand Rapids Community Foundation on what has been a years-long process of creating a fund to increase the amount of affordable housing.

Grand Rapids officials say part of the city’s post-pandemic rebound for events and entertainment should include a focus on reviving a local arts council to coordinate funding and programs.

MUSKEGON — In mid-March the Muskegon Museum of Art announced a $9.9 million expansion plan to add additional gallery space to the facility, which — according to museum officials — has already been mostly funded. 

Earlier this month, Kent and Ottawa counties separately released results from their Community Health Needs Assessment reports, which compile data from surveys of county residents, health care professionals, and community leaders. 

The Lansing-based Association of Accredited Child & Family Agencies launched a new effort in mid March calling for equitable funding for child welfare agencies that provide vital services to Michigan families.

GRAND RAPIDS — New City Neighbors is in the process of relocating its operations from Fourth Reformed Church following a dispute last year over the church’s position on sexual orientation and gender identity.

GRAND RAPIDS — Bethany Christian Services’ announcement this month that it would begin to help LGBTQ parents nationwide adopt children was a major policy reversal for the global adoption agency and, for civil rights advocates, appeared to be a step toward progress.

MUSKEGON — Two Muskegon nonprofits are partnering on a new affordable housing pilot program calling for six new homes in the city just east of downtown.