Grant Information

Over four and a half million dollars has been given back to the Greenville area and Montcalm County in the form of grants and scholarships from the GACF and it's affiliates - the Greenville Youth Advisory Council (GYAC), the Lakeview Area Community Fund (LACF) and it's youth group the Lakeview Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) and the Montcalm Panhandle Community Fund (MPCF).

How to Apply for a Grant ...

If you are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization interested in submitting a grant request to the GACF, GYAC, LACF, LYAC or MPCF, we encourage you to call and set-up an informal visit with us. This allows you to tell us about your proposal and it gives us an opportunity to better communicate our role as a Community Foundation. Application forms, along with guidance are available from our office. A copy of our grant application is available for download in the following formats:

Grant applications are due each Spring and Fall.

The Spring Grant Cycle is for programs and projects with a strong educational component only and the grant if awarded is payable over the next school year. The Fall Grant Cycle includes general programs and projects and also a health related focus area. Successful applicants will be notified that grants are payable at the beginning of the next calendar year. The LACF and the MPCF make grants once a year in the fall.

Current deadlines are as follows:

Spring Educational Grant Cycle - Deadline falls at the beginning of March. (If you are a GPS applicant please check with your supervisor for specific dates.) Grants are awarded from the Grace Sagendorf Education Fund and the Sagendorf Opportunities of Success Fund, as well as, other donor advised funds if appropriate.
Fall Health Grant Cycle - Deadline falls mid-August. Grants are awarded from the Meijer Children's Health Care Fund and the Healthy Youth & Healthy Senior Fund.
Fall General Grant Cycle - Deadline falls mid-August and grants are awarded from donor advised, field of interest and designated funds, as well as, the GACF Unrestricted Fund.
Fall Youth Grant Cycle - Deadline falls mid-November and grants are awarded from the Kellogg Youth Fund at GACF and the Lakeview Youth Fund at LACF.

Contact the GACF office for specific deadlines as they may change from year to year.

The Grant Review Process ...

Our grant review committee involves members of the GACF Board of Trustees, the Youth Advisory Councils, the Advisory Committees of the Lakeview and Montcalm Panhandle Community Funds and the Meijer Children's Health Care Fund. These Advisory Committees seek final approval from The Greenville Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees.

Applications are studied carefully and prioritized according to community needs, fund purpose and youth needs assessments, then acted upon according to priority status and availability of funds. Every effort is made to work with applicants to make their efforts as successful as possible. Applicants can direct their applications to the GACF, the youth groups, the Lakeview / Montcalm Panhandle Funds or specific field of interest funds for consideration as long as the requests are unique to the fund's priorities. Fields of interest include but are not limited to literacy, education and health care.

Grant Making Priorities ...

The Unrestricted Fund of the Greenville Area Community Foundation exists to help fulfill our community's needs in the areas of health, culture, education, environment, recreation, and community development. Grants from this fund reflect the variety and scope of the interests, needs and opportunities that exist in our community. If you have a proposed program that benefits our community in these areas, we would encourage you to submit your application.

GACF qualifying grant applications usually exhibit the following characteristics:

Projects that increase citizen commitment to meeting community needs through involvement in the development and implementation of solutions.
Projects that develop self-reliance and/or eliminate dependency.
Projects that avoid duplication of services and encourage cooperation within the community.
Projects that will become self-sustaining without requiring ongoing GACF financial support.
Projects that address prevention as well as treatment.

What will typically not be funded ... but could be considered?

General operating support, specifically on a year to year basis
Endowments outside of the GACF
Annual fund-raising
Sectarian religious programs
Projects, outside the geographic service area of the Greenville Area Community Foundation, that do not provide a major benefit to the local community.

Greenville Youth Advisory Council Grants ...

Proposals that support youth and family programs in our community are given special consideration through the GYAC and LYAC. Members of these very active and involved groups come from the area high schools & middle schools and are learning first-hand about the importance of community involvement and philanthropy. YAC Grant Criteria ...

There are a number of factors that contribute to the decisions involved in the grant making process of the YAC's. Some of the major considerations include:

Number of area youth affected by the grant
Area where youth will be most affected by the grant (geographic location)
Significance of the grant on area youth
Ability of the grant to fulfill the needs of area youth

Current areas of need as identified by the area youth include:

Substance Abuse

Unemployment with Families / Poverty

Teen Pregnancy

Problems with parents and at home

High School Drop-out Rate

To download a copy of our GYAC grant application in Word format, click on the icon below.

If you have questions about our grant making process, or would like additional help in completing your grant request, we would be pleased to meet with you and help in any way possible. Simply call our office with your questions or make an appointment to meet with us. For more information about grant applications contact the GACF office at 616.754.2640 or email Amy O'Brien, Program Administrator.

GACF BOARD VARIANCE POWER: The GACF Board shall have the power to modify any restriction or condition on the distribution of funds for any specified charitable purposes or to specified organizations if in the sole judgment of the board (without the approval of any trustee, custodian or agent), such restriction or condition becomes, in effect, unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community or area served. (See also Article III, Section 1 (D) of the community foundation Bylaws.)