Related

• Webinar: CFHZ Community Update

  

  We invite you to listen to a recording of  our community update webinar!

  Listen Here

  Topics covered in this webinar included:  

  •  How CFHZ stewards community resources
  • The process for collaboration and funding decisions
  • What the greatest needs are in our community right now, and what we expect for the next six months
  • Stories of impact in our community

  CFHZ was founded in 1951 because our founders believed there would always be challenges and opportunities in our community, and that it would be wise, and important, to build a permanent flexible endowment to ensure we had the resources to respond. It is thanks to our founders, and the trust of thousands of individuals,  families and companies who have partnered with CFHZ and contributed to our Community’s Endowment over the past 70 years, that CFHZ had the infrastructure, leadership, resources, and relationships to respond swiftly and meaningfully to the challenges of 2020.

  In our community update, we discussed what we are hearing from our nonprofit partners in the community, how local philanthropy found its niche to complement state and federal resources, and how funders, nonprofit and government agencies collaborated to develop strategy to achieve the greatest impact.

  Webinar Contributors

  • Mike Goorhouse, President & CEO
  • Elizabeth Kidd, Vice President of Community Impact
  • Yah-Hanna Jenkins Leys, Director of Community Impact 

• New Line of Credit Guarantee Program

  

  CFHZ’s Line of Credit Guarantee Program is Now Open through April 24, 2020!

  The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area’s (CFHZ’s) Line of Credit (LOC) Guarantee Program allows nonprofit organizations that are tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, are serving a charitable purpose in the greater Holland/Zeeland area, and had a 2019 operating budget in excess of $500,000 to apply to have a CFHZ guaranteed line of credit established through West Michigan Community Bank.   

  Guaranteed Line of credit approved limits are as follows:

  • Nonprofit organizations with a 2019 operating budget in excess of $1 million can apply for a line of credit of up to $200,000. 
  • Nonprofit organizations with a 2019 operating budget of $500,000 - $1 million can apply for a line of credit of up to $100,000.  

  CFHZ’s Line of Credit Guarantee Program has a total cap of $2 million, so we anticipate being able to partner with 10-15 nonprofits through this program. Please note – as with CFHZ’s competitive grantmaking program, religious organizations that advocate specific religious doctrines through their programs, or do not serve the broader community, are not eligible.

  Those nonprofit organizations accepted into this program by CFHZ will then be connected to West Michigan Community Bank (WMCB) to establish their line of credit account.  Since CFHZ is guaranteeing this line of credit, the nonprofit will not have to put forward any collateral, nor will the nonprofit go through a traditional underwriting process.  

  

  Additional specifications of the Line of Credit through WMCB: 

  • It is a 3-year, interest only LOC meaning that the nonprofit only has to pay interest during the three-year term, but the full amount of principal and interest must be paid off by the nonprofit by the end of the third year.
  • The LOC has a floating interest rate of the current Prime rate with a floor of 4%. This means that the interest rate will be 4% unless the prime interest rate goes above 4% (it is currently at 3.25%).
  • WMCB has waived all loan origination and closing fees.
  • The nonprofit can draw on the LOC throughout the first two years, but the third year of the LOC is for repayment only.
  •  The dollars from the LOC can be used for any operational expenses, but the dollars cannot be used for capital related expenses such as facility improvement. Please check with CFHZ if you are unsure if a specific expense is considered a “capital” expense.

  In addition to guaranteeing the LOC, CFHZ will provide reimbursement to the nonprofit for all interest that the nonprofit has paid on the LOC during the first 2 years, up to 4% per year.  During the third year that the LOC is open (third year is open for repayment only), CFHZ will not be reimbursing interest costs paid by the nonprofit. Here are some additional details on how the interest reimbursement will work:

  • The nonprofit will pay WMCB the monthly interest owed and then after 12 months CFHZ will reimburse the nonprofit for how much interest they have paid. The same process will happen for months 13-24. 
  • The reason for structuring this as a reimbursement model is that the actual interest paid in the year will depend on how much of the LOC the nonprofit has drawn throughout the year. 
  • The reason for a cap on CFHZ reimbursement at 4% per year is that technically, although unlikely, the prime interest rate could rise rapidly and CFHZ wants to cap how much of their resources are spent reimbursing interest on the total $2 million LOC guarantee pool.

  Why CFHZ is establishing this program:

  CFHZ has been listening to our partners as they describe the significant cash flow challenges being experienced so suddenly due to loss of revenue and increased demand for services during this pandemic crisis. We have heard that significant decisions need to be made quickly, and without a lot of clarity as to what the next 3-12 months are going to look like.

  In response, we are launching this new program as a way to further leverage our Community’s Endowment assets to support some of our mid-to-large nonprofit partners and preserve critical community capacity in this time of extraordinary need.

  Here is what we hope the program will accomplish:

  • Give our nonprofit partners quick access to capital without the need to go through the traditional underwriting process or use their own collateral for a line of credit or loan.
  • Provide flexible working capital to allow our nonprofit partners time and flexibility to function at higher capacity as they navigate loss of revenue and/or increased need.  We hope this flexibility is particularly helpful as many organizations are re-working how they deliver services, embracing new service roles they haven’t had to in the past, and need time to gain a better sense of their financial picture in the coming months.
  • Ease the burden on our nonprofit partners to access this kind of tool as the process with WMCB will be turnkey if an organization is selected for participation by CFHZ.

  We understand that this is likely not going to prevent nonprofits from having to make tough choices down the road, as this isn’t grant money, but it will hopefully provide nonprofits the gift of time to make those choices and the option of choosing to spread the difficult decisions out over a multi-year period. 

  We also acknowledge that by only allowing nonprofit organizations with budgets over $500,000 to apply for this program that this tool is for a limited portion of our nonprofit sector.  We recognize that many of our smaller nonprofit organizations are doing very important and critical work as well and want to be clear that this particular program is only one tool in our toolbox.  

  In addition to this LOC guarantee program, we are utilizing the Emergency Human Needs Fund to deploy capital over a six-week period to organizations providing emergency basic needs services, and we will be re-working our competitive grantmaking strategy for the remainder of 2020. We anticipate our new competitive grantmaking framework and process to be announced in June when we have a better sense of how the federal stimulus funds have supported our community members in need and our nonprofit partners.

  Please note – participating in this Line of Credit Guarantee program does not preclude an organization from receiving a grant from CFHZ. This is an entirely different process and tool.

   

  CFHZ Selection Criteria and Process:

  Applications will be reviewed by a joint taskforce of CFHZ Distribution Committee and Program Related Investment (PRI) Committee members with support from CFHZ staff.  The review committee will be choosing organizations based on the following priorities:

  • Organizations that have been significantly impacted by loss of revenue and/or increase in service need that has caused a short-term financial need.
  • Organizations that have a strong financial track record coming into this crisis.
  • Organizations that are providing key services to our community that would be difficult to replace if the specific organization lost capacity in the near or long term.
  • Organizations with demonstrated high impact from their core programs/services. 
  • Organizations demonstrating their ability to innovate / adapt / make hard choices during these uncertain times
  • Organizations with strong overall organizational capacity 

  Nonprofit Application Process:

  Step 1: Submit your CFHZ line of credit guarantee program application via the following link by April 24, 2020:  

  You can use this PDF as a worksheet to view all questions in preparation for submitting the application form online. 

  The PDF worksheet shows you the “word count” limits for each question, but you do not need to use all the words, and lists are fine. In addition to the PDF worksheet that shows the “open ended” questions in the application, you will also be asked to submit attachments as follows:

  1. Please provide a list of key programs you offer, information about the number of people served, priority populations you target, and any general measurable outcomes from these programs.  We encourage you to pull this information from other grant applications or existing organizational materials.  There is no need to create something new specifically for this application.
  2. Please attach Audited Financial Statements from your most recent fiscal year available
  3. Annual organization budget for current fiscal year (prior to COVID-19 crisis)

  LOC GUARANTEE PROGRAM APPLICATION

   

  Step 2:  CFHZ will reach out to the contact listed for your organization as close to May 4 as possible with our final decision as to whether your nonprofit has been accepted into the program.  We may reach out to you ahead of this date if additional information is needed alongside your application.

  Step 3: If your nonprofit is approved to be included in this program, CFHZ will provide your organization it’s Line of Credit dollar approval limit, and will connect you to West Michigan Community Bank in order to establish your line of credit account via a separate application (which will NOT involve collateral or underwriting).

  Step 4: At that point, any ongoing communication and reporting requirements will be between the nonprofit organization and their assigned contact at West Michigan Community Bank, with CFHZ being involved only in reimbursing interest every 12 months for the first two years.

   

  Unlike our competitive grant program, you do not need to contact CFHZ prior to completing this Line of Credit Guarantee application.  However, if you do have additional questions about the program or application, please contact Mike Goorhouse at mgoorhouse@cfhz.org or 616-994-8855.

• Annual Luncheon Update

  

  

  We've made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 Annual Luncheon, previously scheduled for Thursday, May 21. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve, and it's our responsibility to keep public health at the forefront of our decisions. Until we can gather together again, we'll be sharing digital updates on our work in the community. 

  For any additional questions about this event cancellation, please contact Jessica Lynch at jlynch@cfhz.org

• Join the CFHZ Team

  We're Hiring an Administrative Assistant!

  Do you have an eye for detail, love working with people and want to be part of an organization making a positive difference in our community? The Community Foundation is looking for a new Administrative Assistant to do just that.

  We are looking for a new individual to step into this important position on our team. As a small office, the Administrative Assistant plays a critical role in ensuring the office runs smoothly and that every person who calls or walks through our doors has a welcoming, positive experience. The Administrative Assistant is a fully in-person, on-site role. The Administrative Assistant is involved in key customer service and financial processes and provides administrative support for all areas of CFHZ’s work. As a growing organization, we need the person who serves as Administrative Assistant to support our office and staff in providing the best possible service to our community.

  Find the full job description here

  Interested in pursuing this opportunity?

  Send an email to info@cfhz.org by Monday, June 7th which includes your resume and a cover letter. In your cover letter, specifically address how an administrative role that incorporates both people skills and computer skills is the right fit for you. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All are welcomed and encouraged to apply.

  The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area (CFHZ) will provide equal employment opportunity and not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, religion, height, weight, veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law.

• Three new members elected to CFHZ Board of Trustees

  

  The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area’s Board of Trustees recently elected three new members. Lucia Rios, Tom DenHerder, and Ryan Lindberg were all elected during the Board’s annual meeting held on May 28.

  Lucia Rios is the Resource Navigator for The SOURCE stationed at Herman Miller and is a freelance writer. A West Michigan native, she has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 15 years and is an advocate for disability inclusion. Lucia also serves on the Community Foundation’s distribution committee.  

   

   

  

  Tom DenHerder is the President/CEO of Yacht Basin Marina. He currently also serves on the Zeeland Public School Board of Education, the Zeeland Education Foundation Board, Chemical Bank Holland Community Board, and the Community Foundation’s investment committee. State-wide he serves on the Michigan Boating Industries Association Board.  

   

  Ryan Lindberg is a senior at Holland Christian High School and serves as the Board's youth trustee. He has been a member of Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) since 2016 and will serve as Chair of YAC for the 2019–2020 school year. In addition to YAC, Ryan participates in soccer, is a member of the Michigan Community Foundations Youth Project, the Holland Youth Advisory Council,  and currently holds an internship at Lakeshore Advantage.

   

  
  

   

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  Leslie Brown Elected Chair of CFHZ Board of Trustees, Jim Bishop as Chair-Elect

   

  The Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area elected a new slate of officers during its annual meeting held on May 28, 2019. Elected as Board Chair is Leslie Brown, Chairman of the Board at Metal Flow Corporation, Brown succeeds Bret Docter, who held the position of Chair in 2018. Brown served as Chair-Elect to Docter for the past year and Jim Bishop will be the new Chair-Elect.

  Leslie Brown joined the Board in spring of 2015 and is owner and Chairman of the Board of Metal Flow Corporation in Holland. She has served as the past Chair of the Board of Holland Hospital as well as serving on the boards of Talent 2025, West Coast Chamber of Commerce, Holland Historical Trust, West Michigan Community Bank and Harbor House Ministries.

  Jim joined the Board in spring of 2014. A 37-year veteran of banking, in 2015, Jim joined West Michigan Community Bank and is Senior Vice President / Lakeshore Market Manager. Jim currently serves on the City of Holland Downtown Development Authority. Jim is a past board member of the Holland Area Arts Council, Holland Area Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, Lakeshore 504,  and a former trustee of the Muskegon Public Schools Board of Education. He also served as a charter member of the executive committee for the Ready for School Council.

  Deborah Sterken will continue to serve as Secretary and Mark Harder will serve as Treasurer, and Bret Docter will become Past-Chair.

• 2018 Year in review – A letter from our President/CEO

  

  

  Dear Friends of the Foundation,

  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a great year ahead.

  I write to you today filled with gratitude and excitement. Over the last few years, you have heard me talk extensively about how the Community Foundation’s work is divided into two parts: building our Community’s Endowment and providing Donor Services. 

  From 2015–2017, we prioritized the Community’s Endowment side of our work as we engaged in our Today. Tomorrow. Forever. Campaign for our Community’s Endowment. With the momentum of some very generous matching donations, we spent a significant amount of time and energy elevating the important role that our Community’s Endowment plays in the long-term vitality of the Holland/Zeeland area. You all responded in amazingly generous ways that grew our Community’s Endowment by $5 million “Today” and our pipeline of “Tomorrow” estate gift commitments by more than $30 million. 

  With the campaign wrapped up and with the new Federal income tax law changes taking effect, in 2018 we prioritized the Donor Service side of our work. We spent time with companies, families and professional advisors highlighting the various tools we have to make giving as efficient and effective as possible. We were astounded and humbled by the deep generosity of many in our community as we received close to $20 million in contributions to Donor Service funds here at CFHZ. These gifts ranged in size from $25 to $7 million, and combined with nearly $1 million in gifts to our Community’s Endowment, led to CFHZ’s 2018 contributions totaling close to $21 million. That is more than double our previous high of $9.7 million!

  These resources will impact many individuals and nonprofits in the Holland/Zeeland area, and we are honored that many of you chose to partner with CFHZ to help you best achieve your charitable goals.

  For me, this record year says two things:
  1. Our community is deeply generous and is committed to making a difference in the lives of others and
  2. The hard work of so many staff and board members over the last 65 years has made the Community Foundation a trusted partner for many local families and companies. 

  Nothing inspires me more than having witnessed and felt these two things in profound ways over the last few months. It is a privilege to serve this organization and work with you all!

  In addition to this exciting news, here is a list of 2018 highlights:

   

  

  Strategic Planning:

  • Became a strategic partner with the Holland/Zeeland Promise Scholarship program providing side by side services to scholarship recipients and helping raise awareness and funds to support more students
  • Launched a pilot Philanthropic Consulting program helping companies and families with their giving strategy beyond fund management

  
  

  Community Impact:

  • Competitive Grantmaking process awarded 12 new grants totaling $550,200 (full list here) and paid $138,500 in second and third-year payments for previous multi-year grants (list here)
  • Distributed $100,000 in support for Strengthening the Nonprofit Sector initiatives includingLakeshore Nonprofit Alliance, United Way’s Community Assessment and Nonprofit Executive Director transitions
  • Continued our leadership role supporting Housing Next’s efforts to improve the affordability of housing in Ottawa County

  • Committed $30,000/year for four years in support of the Holland/Zeeland Promise Scholarship program
  •  Impact video debuted at Fall Event

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Events:

  • Annual Luncheon = maximum capacity crowd of 350
  • Fall Event = record crowd of 670

  
  

  Publications:

  • 2017 Annual Report
  • Spring Newsletter
  • Year End Newsletter
  • Scholarship Publication

  There was much more that happened during the year, but the above list aggregates some of the highlights from my perspective.

  It was an inspiring year here at CFHZ and I want to thank each of you for all that you have done, and continue to do, to partner with the Community Foundation to ensure that the Holland/Zeeland area thrives Today, Tomorrow and Forever.

   

  With deep gratitude,

   

  Mike