West Michigan Grants
West Michigan Youth Programs
As the birthplace of the Gerber Foundation, the foundation supports a variety of youth programming within a 4-county area that includes Lake, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana Counties in West Michigan. Grants are geared towards projects serving youth from 0-18 years of age.
A special emphasis is placed on projects focused on the following major target areas:
Health, Nutrition, & Dental Issues
Early Childhood Services & Literacy
Parenting Education
Education
(Including Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Agriculture, and Math)
Life Experiences
(Camp Scholarships, Agricultural Science Education, 4-H and FFA)
Info & Requirements
Grants are to fund programming, generally limited to one-year commitments, and are normally under $10,000, with the average grant size being less than $5,000. Programs that are collaborative and that have support from the broader community are encouraged.
Although the Foundation prefers to fund programming only, capital campaign requests are considered, from time-to-time, on a very limited basis. Please contact the Foundation before applying for capital campaign funding.
- Agencies must be located in or directly serving youth from one of the 4 counties indicated above.
- Grantees must be a public non-profit (with a 501c3 determination letter from the IRS) or governmental entity in order to apply.
Contact the Foundation office to discuss your project with Foundation staff:
Applying for a West Michigan Grant
Deadlines for Applications are March 15 and September 15 of each year at 4pm.
Results may be expected by the end of April and October, respectively.
The following information will be needed as you complete your grant proposal. Grants under $2,000 have a shortened application process based on the amount entered. While requests for capital projects are seldom made, you may contact the Foundation to discuss your need for support and guidance on your request.
All applications must be completed through our online system.
Project Information:
- Project summary statement
- Start and end dates of the project
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Target population:
- Total youth served
- Age range of youth served
- County of residence of youth served - Purpose statement
- Project activities
- Project impact in the long and short term
- Evaluation in the short and long term
- Community partners and organizations and their role
- Nature of project (one-time or ongoing)
Optional Items:
- Letters of support and collaboration
- Relevant news articles
- Organizational newsletters
- Any other information you wish to be considered
Organization Information:
- Mission
- Brief description of current programs, activities, and populations served (demographics and numbers)
- Annual organizational budget
Budget Information:
- Line item budget, including any in-kind support for the project
- Line item sources of income to cover the anticipated expenses
Required Attachments:
- Board roster with names and affiliations
- Most recent annual report, if applicable
- Letters of support or collaboration from participating organizations named in the grant proposal.
Recent Awards:
Early Childhood/Literacy
- Community Foundation for Oceana County – Read early. Read often. Early Childhood Literacy Program
- Grand Rapids Children's Museum – Kids Can! Van Play and Literacy Program
- Luther Area Public Library – Youth Story Time Program
- Pathfinder Community Library – New Books For Children And Young Adults
- PoWeR! Book Bags – Play, Write, Read Program Books And Supplies
- White Cloud Community Library – Jerry Decaire Superhero Youth Workshop
Parenting
- Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan – 2025 Family Support Program
Education (STEM)
Not limited to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education – we prefer to focus on Strategies That Engage Minds.
- Fremont Public Schools – High School Close Up Civic Education Program
- Grant Public Schools – Sphero Indi Robots For Teaching Hands-On Coding To Elementary Children
- Junior Achievement Of The Michigan Great Lakes – Financial Literacy, Work And Career Readiness And Entrepreneurship Program
- Michigan 4-H Foundation | Newaygo 4-H – Discover 4-H Through STEAM Programs
- Newaygo Conservation District – Upgrades To Educational Hiking Trail And Summer Mini-Camp Scholarships
- Truenorth Community Services – AY25/26 Speakup! Program
Health/Nutrition/Dental Care
- City of Newaygo | Police Department – Youth Health and Safety Education Community Events
- hand2hand – Support For Student Weekend Food Program
- Michigan 4-H Foundation | Oceana 4-H – Foodie Tales and Adventures Programming Materials
Life Experience
- Harbor Hospice –2025 Camp Courage Scholarships
- Bellwether Harbor – 2025 PetPals Education and Dog Bite Prevention Training
- Michigan 4-H Foundation | Newaygo & Muskegon 4-H – 4-H Exploration Days Transportation
- Michigan 4-H Foundation | Oceana 4-H – 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus Program
- Michigan 4-H Foundation | Newaygo 4-H – Remote Control SPIN Out 4-H Club
- FIRST TEE - West MI – After School Golf Program Scholarships
- Muskegon Waves Adaptive Sports Team – Adaptive Sport Program
- Gerald R. Ford Council, Boy Scouts of America – Scouting Outreach Program in Muskegon County
- Odd Fellow and Rebekah Camp of Michigan – 2025 Summer Camp Scholarship Program
- Mount Zion Church of God in Christ – 2025 Summer Day Camp Scholarship Program
- Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp – 2025 Summer Camp Scholarship Program
- Tall Turf Ministries – 2025 Summer Camp Scholarship Program
General Youth
- Holton United Methodist Church – School Supplies for Success
- Camp Henry – Support for Mountain Bike Program
- TrueNorth Community Services – Support for Wetland Trail Restoration
