We work with our nonprofit partners in a variety of ways to positively impact the Holland/Zeeland community.
Recent grants and impact
Recently Funded Grants
Scroll below to see the listings
of our recent responsive and proactive grants.
- 2025 Proactive Recipients
- 2024 Responsive Recipients
- 2024 Proactive Recipients
Grantee / Project Name
Issue Area
Amount
Purpose
Grantee / Project Name
Hope College Office of Educational Outreach - RISE program
Issue Area
Education Opportunity Gap
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To launch the new RISE Academy which offers individualized academic support to ninth grade students from Holland Public, West Ottawa, and Zeeland Public schools. The program aims to improve proficiency in reading, writing, and math, especially for historically underserved students.
Grantee / Project Name
ODC Network - Equity for Education Program
Issue Area
Education Opportunity Gap
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To provide year-round academic support for kindergarten – 8th grade students in Zeeland Public Schools who are falling behind in reading and math, with a focus on prioritizing students from low-income households or challenging situations. The program will also create mentorship opportunities for aspiring educators from underrepresented backgrounds.
Grantee / Project Name
Issue Area
Amount
Purpose
Grantee / Project Name
Escape
Issue Area
Youth
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To double summer program capacity in two years and introduce a year-round initiative to equip youth with essential skills for early and long-term career success. Escape will use this grant to assist youth ages 14-17 to learn job skills, build relationships in the community, develop confidence, and gain workforce readiness so they can thrive in a productive and meaningful career post-high school.
Grantee / Project Name
ODC Network
Issue Area
Education
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To expand Reimagine Education, an extension of ODC Education Network's successful nature-based learning support for local schools, to West Ottawa Public Schools (WOPS). Reimagine Education addresses significant challenges in student achievement, particularly in science, reading, and math.
Grantee / Project Name
Community Action House
Issue Area
Human Services
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To expand staffing and infrastructure for the Food Club & Opportunity Hub and respond to a growing demand for Community Action House’s services.
Grantee / Project Name
Renew Therapeutic Riding Center
Issue Area
Health
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To fund the expansion of the Renew Equine Assisted Learning programs (REAL) to serve veterans, first responders, and children in foster care.
Grantee / Project Name
Dwelling Place
Issue Area
Community and Economic Development
Amount
$40,000
Purpose
To support the housing need in Ottawa County by providing fifty-two (52) units of high-quality, sustainable, and inclusive housing to low-income individuals/families.
Grantee / Project Name
Good Samaritan Ministries
Issue Area
Human Services
Amount
$35,000
Purpose
To improve office facilities to enhance client and community partner experiences, including adding private meeting spaces and more staff offices to meet a growing demand for services. These upgrades are essential to meet the growing needs of the community and ensure the effective delivery of resources to those who need them most.
Grantee / Project Name
Zeeland Public Schools
Issue Area
Education
Amount
$30,000
Purpose
To enhance the Introduction to Public Safety Course, increasing educational and career prospects for students who are interested in careers as first responders, emergency personnel, and other public safety professions.
Grantee / Project Name
The Salvation Army
Issue Area
Youth
Amount
$27,000
Purpose
To assist in developing a sustainable Day Camp Program, which provides quality childcare to working parents with limited financial resources, and increase increase weekly participant capacity from 17 to 50 campers.
Grantee / Project Name
Holland Free Health Clinic
Issue Area
Health
Amount
$18,812.88
Purpose
To acquire a new dental operatory system to improve patient care and program efficiency. Holland Free Health Clinic has been a crucial resource for underserved populations since 2002 and is a key provider of free dental care for the uninsured/underinsured accepting Medicaid.
Grantee / Project Name
Camp Blodgett
Issue Area
Youth
Amount
$15,000
Purpose
To expand summer academic and recreational programs to include students from Holland Public Schools beginning in 2024 and gradually increase enrollment across Ottawa County public schools through summers 2025 and 2026. Camp Blodgett's STEM Academy and Summer Camp serves children from low-income households, with the STEM Academy specifically seeking to increase middle school student competency in science and math.
Grantee / Project Name
Children's Advocacy Center
Issue Area
Education
Amount
$15,000
Purpose
To ensure Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) child abuse prevention education is accessible all members of our community. CAC partnered with Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) to develop a comprehensive, culturally-aware, and phased approach to expanding their prevention reach in Spanish.
Grantee / Project Name
The First Tee of West Michigan
Issue Area
Youth
Amount
$15,000
Purpose
To expand staffing and position First Tee for future growth as they teach students ages 7-17 valuable life lessons through the game of golf.
Grantee / Project Name
Issue Area
Amount
Purpose
Grantee / Project Name
Holland Public Schools - Project Endeavor
Issue Area
Education Opportunity Gap
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To implement the new After School Endeavors Program, which supports K-12 students at risk of learning loss in the areas of reading, writing, and math.
Grantee / Project Name
Zeeland Public Schools - ZPS Summer Learning
Issue Area
Education Opportunity Gap
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To supplement the work being done with elementary students at-risk of learning loss during the summer and grow the program to serve an additional 30+ students who demonstrate academic and/or socio-emotional needs.
Grantee / Project Name
Single MOMM - Establishing Comprehensive Support for Single Moms
Issue Area
Healthy Parent/Caring Adult Relationship in a Child's Life
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To help Single MOMM offer parenting classes, resource navigation assistance, and mental health support services for single mothers.
Grantee / Project Name
Beacon of Hope
Issue Area
Mental Health
Amount
$60,000 over 2 years
Purpose
To help Beacon of Hope address mental health service delays— often averaging 6-12 weeks—by expanding its counseling internship program.
Grantee / Project Name
City on a Hill Ministries Health Clinic
Issue Area
Mental Health
Amount
$55,000 over two years
Purpose
To help deliver comprehensive mental health care for individuals from low-income households, including those who are uninsured or underinsured.
Grantee / Project Name
Arbor Circle - Increasing Father Friendly Services in Ottawa County
Issue Area
Healthy Parent/Caring Adult Relationship in a Child's Life
Amount
$30,000
Purpose
To research, understand, and address the needs and barriers for engaging fathers and father figures, ultimately leading to the development of best practice tools, resources, and training to support them.
Grantee / Project Name
Midtown Counseling - Family/Parental Engagement in On-Site School Counseling for Holland Public Schools
Issue Area
Healthy Parent/Caring Adult Relationship in a Child's Life
Amount
$30,000
Purpose
To deepen the family and parental engagement in on-site school counseling by offering: free counseling to family members of the student being counseled, parenting classes; art therapy; life skill groups; and more.
Grantee / Project Name
Community Mental Health of Ottawa County
Issue Area
Mental Health
Amount
$30,000
Purpose
To help Community Mental Health of Ottawa County (CMHOC) expand its Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program, which has trained over 100 first responders recognize behavioral health conditions, de-escalate behavioral health crises, and connect individuals and families to community services and support.
Grantee / Project Name
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holland - Education Programs
Issue Area
Education Opportunity Gap
Amount
$25,000
Purpose
To make daily academic assistance available to all club members through Power Hour, Project Learn, and EPIC. Power Hour offers students homework help from BGCGH staff or volunteers; Project Learn focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; and EPIC supports high school students in connecting their current studies with post-secondary education plans.
Grantee / Project Name
Radiant Roots Doula Network - Doula Services and Community Birthing Classes
Issue Area
Healthy Parent/Caring Adult Relationship in a Child's Life
Amount
$25,000
Purpose
To help the organization expand into Ottawa County and provide high-quality, culturally responsive doula services and birthing classes.
Strengthening the Nonprofit Sector
In addition to directly investing in projects and programs that benefit area residents through competitive grants, we also channel a portion of our Community’s Endowment funding to efforts that strengthen our local nonprofit sector. Within this space, we support the Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance which serves area nonprofits by facilitating collaboration, leveraging resources, and providing professional and organizational development opportunities. We also support Community SPOKE, which fosters cross-sector collaboration around our community’s human service systems.
We also invest in collaborative efforts to gather robust local data that provide critical insights into new and changing needs in our community. These include the Greater Ottawa County United Way Community Assessment and the Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey. These tools help all of us to make well-informed, strategic choices about how to make the greatest difference with our available resources.
Have Questions?
For more information or questions about grants, contact Yadah V. Ramirez, Director of Community Impact.