News

Updates and Insights from the Community Foundation

Featured Posts

  • 2023-2024 Annual Report

    Posted on November 08, 2024

    2023-2024 Annual Report
    In a pivotal year, Grand Rapids Community Foundation awarded $16,078,689 in grants to nonprofit partners and scholarships to students. The organization's total assets were stewarded to $448,331,707. Other results and stories from partners are highlighted [...]
Stories

  • Posted on February 04, 2010

    Donor Advisors: Herb and Glenna Knape
    In 1950, newlyweds Herb and Glenna Knape built a small house on Fisk Lake with one bedroom and a nursery. By 1960, both the house and the family had grown… the house to five bedrooms, [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Donor Advisors: Bill and Norma Sprague
    Both Ohio natives, Bill and Norma Sprague were students when they met at Ohio University in Athens. “We met in a bacteriology class,” said Norma. “It was our junior year.” She was a smart and [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Scholarship Donor: Derether Greer
    Derether Greer was the first person in her family to earn a college degree. After graduating in 1968 from Grand Rapids South High School, she went on to Western Michigan University and received her [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Planned Gift: Harvey Lemmen
    Truth be told, luck really has nothing to do with Harvey Lemmen and his success. He is a member of the greatest generation and he epitomizes many of the qualities that have made his generation [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Planned Gift: Brian Cloyd and Agnes Kempker-Cloyd
    Agnes and Brian met at freshmen orientation at the University of Detroit. He was from St. Louis and moved to West Michigan after graduation to start his life with Agnes who was from the area. [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Unrestricted Gift: Allan and Claudia Carlson
    They still remember what it was like to live within a budget. They went on picnics and to the lake with their children, they borrowed books from the library. They also remember the lean times [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Planned Gift: Lou VanderHave
    The theatre world and a few famous musicians brought us the line, “The show must go on!” And while it’s not necessarily the line’s intended meaning, this spirit may be used to describe the generosity [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Donor Advisor: Tom and Mickie Fox
    If you grew up or lived in West Michigan in the 60s through the 80s, you’re sure to remember the voice of Tom Fox. Tom and his wife Mickie owned a number of jewelry [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Gift of Property: Marvin Stahl
    Marvin Stahl was a lot of things, but average wasn’t one of them. His father abandoned him. He dropped out of high school. His 27-year-old wife and fourth child died in childbirth. His lost two [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Planned Gift: Perry and Hazel Lawr
    When Hazel Lawr died on June 15, 1998 at the age of 97, she left an estate valued at just over $1 million. She was private, frugal, and kept her eye on her investments—a classic [...]

  • Posted on January 01, 2008

    Charitable Gift Annuity: Gil and Pat Davis
    Gil and Pat Davis are grateful to live in a city that offers the cultural events they enjoy—theater, opera, libraries. And while they want to support those causes in the future, they have chosen to [...]