NONPROFITS Supporting Students

Academic attainment—completing a degree or credential—takes more than scholarships. While access and affordability are critical to help students reach the next level in their education or career, many other factors are at play. Grand Rapids Community Foundation awards grants to organizations that promote educational equity and help ensure systems are supporting all students—dismantling barriers based on a student’s race, ethnicity or firstgeneration status.

Those partnerships include support that creates opportunities for high school students to thrive and learn. It includes partnerships focused on policy changes at local and statewide levels to ensure that governmental systems are focused on students and families. It includes partnerships creating supportive environments for students to express themselves and navigate challenges. These are essential ways to look holistically at how we, as a community, can help students thrive. Below are a few examples of education-focused grant partnerships awarded in the last few years.

T2C Studio

A partnership between our Challenge Scholars program and the To College Through College, T2C Studio provides high school and college students with an ongoing series of activities to aid post-secondary decision-making, reduce summer melt among graduating seniors and support postsecondary persistence.

Kent School Services Network

We support Kent School Services Network to continue a community school model, which benefits our Challenge Scholars cohorts at Union High School. KSSN uses strategies strategies designed to increase student well-being, attendance and family engagement. The model ensures students have access to physical health, mental health and human services.

Urban Core Collective

The Community Foundation supports the Urban Core Collective Education Justice Team’s organizing and base-building work through a grant partnership. The team works to advance a community-defined policy and budget agenda, supports community education around candidates for boards of education and explores their role in organizing around state policy and budgetary issues. The Education Justice team also develops grassroots leaders and designs structures that support those leaders in applying their gifts of advocacy.

FAIR HOUSING CENTER OF WEST MICHIGAN

Over several years a grant partnership for the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan and Diatribe has supported their Writing to Right Wrongs program, which has been offered to students in Union High School’s English classes. Students experience an interactive program focused on fair housing and social justice as they develop their speaking and writing skills and explore how where one lives impacts their opportunities. Through this programming, students are empowered and equipped to become advocates.

EDUCATION TRUST - MIDWEST

Our ongoing grant partnership with Education Trust - Midwest supports the work of the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity, a statewide coalition of civil rights, social justice, civic and business leaders working to promote equitable education policy and resource allocation for all Michigan students.

Learn more about our commitment to education and see the entire list of recent grant awards on our website at GRFoundation.org/Grants.