Empowering Futures: Impact on Children and Families

When children and families can thrive, communities can flourish. Grand Rapids Community Foundation has worked to support students and families throughout its history, adapting its approach to each decade’s pressing needs. The Community Foundation’s work has grown through increased collaboration with nonprofits, donor partners, community and government organizations and more to foster a brighter future for our community’s children.

In 1930, the Community Foundation made its first grants to Grand Rapids Welfare Union (a predecessor of United Way) and Family Service Association (from which Family Outreach Center emerged), Salvation Army and Volunteers of America. During the Great Depression, our largest grants went to social services such as D.A. Blodgett Home for Children and Clinic for Infant Feeding.

In 1945, we began our journey of creating transformative scholarships and fostering a dynamic environment where students can thrive. Those first scholarships supported nurses during wartime and evolved over decades to support a variety of educational backgrounds in college and career training.

The Community Foundation’s commitment to education took on new dimensions as we focused not only on providing individual scholarships but also on the broader ecosystem of education. In the 1960s, the Community Foundation played a pivotal role in establishing Grand Valley State College, now Grand Valley State University. At that time it was the Community Foundation’s largest grant awarded to date. This investment supported the Community Foundation’s belief that our region’s prosperity is connected to providing opportunities for all students in Kent County.

The Community Foundation’s influence and impact gradually moved beyond scholarships and educational institutions. In the 1990s, our focus expanded to include collaborative support systems. The creation of the Kent County Family & Children’s Coordinating Council in 1991 was an opportunity for the Community Foundation and President Diana Sieger to get involved with this type of collaboration. Diana served on the council for decades. The council, formed with county and state departments, united the efforts of many organizations to provide essential services, guidance and opportunities for children, youth and families. This approach demonstrated the need for interconnected, collaborative support for families and communities.

The KCFCC’s legacy gave rise to transformative organizations like West Michigan Partnership for Children, First Steps Kent and Kent School Services Network. KSSN’s mission is centering student and family voices, identifying solutions and advocating for systemic change to ensure student success and well-being. From their founding through today, KSSN continues to be a Community Foundation grant partner.

Other milestones also reflect the Community Foundation’s enduring dedication to thriving children and families. The Perspectives 21 Task Force inspired community involvement in improving Kent County’s child welfare system. In 1999, we supported the Grand Rapids Education Reform Initiative, and, in 2013, we launched our Challenge Scholars program to support college and career dreams for students on Grand Rapids’ west side. Throughout our history, our commitment to students has remained steadfast. As we look to the future, we continue to adapt to community needs and lessons about how we support students and families in equitable ways.

Through it all, we’re committed to learn (and keep learning) how to amplify community voice and promote affordable postsecondary education. Recently, we’ve partnered with the Urban Core Collective and Education Trust Midwest - their expertise creates space for community members to support and advocate for issues that matter to them, including equitable education funding. Through these partnerships and others, we’re learning more about how to support and advocate for equitable education outcomes.

As we continue to support children and families, we know that centering their voice is critical to our continued learning and impact. The Community Foundation is dedicated to creating an education system where a student’s race, ethnicity or first generation status doesn’t determine their ability to succeed. Through scholarships, grantmaking, advocacy and partnerships we strive to provide all Kent County students the opportunities they deserve.

Written by H.G.F.