Huey G. and Mary Copeland
Donor Partners
Mads LaDow
DCT Specialist, AYA Youth Collective
Partnership and relationships are key to who we are at Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Our partners trust us to highlight important issues and build the community will, investment and collaboration needed to inspire change.
Partnership is rooted in mutual respect and responsibility. We are learning to be better partners by:
One way we have committed to help our community grow is through funds focused on community partnership. Through our Black Legacy, Somos Comunidad, Our LGBTQ and Youth funds we aim to increase opportunity, prosperity and a sense of belonging in greater Grand Rapids.
Community members helped design these funds to focus on specific communities with shared identities or interests. Each fund has a volunteer advisory committee that makes grants based on input from members and the wider community. Partnering with community volunteers helps reduce inequity, deepen relationships and strengthen trust between donor and nonprofit partners.
This year Our LGBTQ Fund celebrated its 10th anniversary. Their latest round of grants showed how the fund has adapted over the years while keeping its original intent. In 2014 the founders and early contributors focused on helping LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness in West Michigan. They wanted to target their resources on a very specific need as the fund was growing. Our donor partners’ generosity has continued to support LGBTQ+ youth along with other priority areas.
In 2024 AYA Youth Collective received a grant from Our LGBTQ Fund supporting their work to offer direct cash payments to mitigate LGBTQ+ homelessness in our community.
Many donor partners have come together to establish and grow the impact of our Black Legacy, Somos Comunidad, Our LGBTQ and Youth funds. Huey G. and Mary Copeland have been giving to the Community Foundation for more than 20 years, across various priorities. They have been some of our most consistent donors to the Black Legacy Fund as it has grown and adapted since 2006. They believe a thriving community is one that is inclusive of everyone, and they view their giving back as an investment in the future of our community.
Grand Rapids Community Foundation believes that when communities have the right resources, they can solve their toughest problems. Our Community Partnership Funds show how working together makes places more equitable for everyone. But we know that our community’s needs are much greater than the resources we have.
We need to keep investing in this work to support our community partners for grantmaking, advocacy, fundraising and more. This is how we can make more equitable pathways to success—for everyone.
