| Organization information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name | Community Pride MI |
| Please tell us the amount of funding you are requesting Aware to raise for your organization from the Aware annual fundraising event. | $10,000 |
| If your organization received Aware funding in the previous years, how many clients were serviced and/or how many services were provided with those funds. If you receive Aware funding this current year, how many clients will be serviced and/or how many services will be provided with these funds? | Community Pride MI hosted two events in 2023 (when we received Aware funding) and 2024 (when we did not receive Aware funding), and similarly, is preparing to host the same two events for 2025. |
| Please provide a listing of the Officers and Board members of your organization. | Liz Engel, President |
| Your Contact Information | Mike Wright |
| Phone | 6303889730 |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Scoring Criteria | |
| 1. Description of the Organization (maximum 5 points, please limit to ½ pages) | COMMUNITY PRIDE MI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, homegrown in the Saugatuck-Douglas community. The Board of Directors has seven members along with several additional committee leads as well as our dedicated volunteers. None of these people receives any compensation. The work we do is grounded in LGBTQ+ outreach and awareness, social justice and philanthropy. We promote unity, inclusion, and awareness of gender, sexual identity and racial diversity and aim to create a sense of community and safe spaces for all individuals. We commit to: • Supporting community leaders and organizations that work to eliminate long-standing barriers to equal access, opportunities and resources for all people, Because at our core is diversity and bringing diverse people together at events, our target population is equally as wide and diverse. In other words, we welcome all. Having said that, in this uncertain political environment, we are particularly focused on providing events for, and in support of, the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. We want to educate and inform the community on current events and actions being taken to support our legal and human rights and also to provide welcoming social events where members of the LGBTQ+ community feel safe and supported. |
| 2. Funding Request (maximum 35 points, total, please limit to 1 page) | In 2025 Community Pride MI is again taking our vision and hosting events - PRIDE week in June and Oktoberfest in October- within our communities so that all interested and affected people can participate in education, collaboration, growth, and celebration. While being rooted in LGBTQ+ interests, Community Pride MI envisions events where people from diverse walks of life come together, safely and openly as their authentic selves in this exceptional community we call home. We’re extremely excited to have expanded our offering of PRIDE week events to include activities that should captivate, educate, entertain and inspire a variety of our community members, and also show how businesses and organizations in our community and surrounding communities can work together and support each other! The seven days of Pride events include: June 1 – PRIDE Kickoff Tea Dance at The Dunes Resort where we’ll be kicking off our week with music, dancing, drinks and fun; June 2 – Rainbow Putt Putt Tournament at Saugatuck Mini Golf (co-hosted with Out on the Lakeshore in Holland); this is our first year offering this event and working with Saugatuck Mini Golf and Out on the Lakeshore, and we’re very excited to be offering another opportunity for community members in Saugatuck-Douglas and Holland to come together to celebrate PRIDE week; June 3 – Pride Bowling at Lakeshore Lanes (co-hosted with Westshore Aware), an annual favorite where bowlers and non-bowlers congregate for an evening of camaraderie and fun; June 4 – Pride Garden Party /Welcome Reception for historian Bonnie Morris at Saugatuck Douglas History Center followed by a lecture by Ms. Morris at the Saugatuck-Douglas Library; Ms. Morris is a noted author and scholar in women’s studies and has published numerous articles and books on various subjects, including the feminist movement and lesbian erasure, and in 2018, her book “The Disappearing L: Erasure of Lesbian Spaces and Culture,” was named an Over the Rainbow nonfiction selection by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table of the American Library Association; Ms. Morris will no doubt provide a thought provoking presentation for our library event, and we are thrilled to have her speak to our community; June 5 – Cocktail Reception, Legal Update and Dinner at the Kirby Hotel featuring Jay Kaplan of ACLU of Michigan; Mr. Kapan will provide an update on legal issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community; Mr. Kaplan has worked as a staff attorney at ACLU of Michigan for over 20 years and is at the forefront of constant legal efforts to ensure protection of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people throughout Michigan and is also a frequent speaker on college campuses and panelist at civil rights forums so we are very honored to include Mr. Kaplan in our 2025 line-up of events; June 6 – The second annual Jazz for Justice Concert at All Saints Episcopal Church in Saugatuck, featuring the Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra – the inaugural event last year was a huge success and we expect attendance this year to be even stronger -- and Jump Into Summer, our first collaboration with Saugatuck Center for the Arts; both events feature live music, food trucks and cash bars; we are thrilled to continue to expand our PRIDE offerings to include visible community organizations such as these; June 7 – Our biggest day of the week will include: • The vibrant PRIDE Care-A-Van Parade will start from Saugatuck High School and end at Berry Field in Douglas. • PRIDE in the Park at Beery Field, where performances by Random Play Band and Sixteen Candles Band are expected to draw attendees from our area and beyond, along with our traditional offerings of local vendors, non-profit organizations and delicious food and beverages. Community Pride MI’s PRIDE week events are free to attend because we don’t want to exclude anyone due to cost. Oktoberfest will have a small cover charge as it did last year. All sponsorships, donations, as well as any revenue earned at events, go directly to cover expenses related to promoting, organizing and conducting PRIDE events and Oktoberfest in our communities. |
| 3. Funding Justification (maximum 40 points, please limit to 1 page) | If Community Pride MI were to receive funding from West Shore Aware in 2025, those important funds would directly impact the quality of the Pride week and Oktoberfest events. West Shore Aware funding, along with funds we receive from all private, nonprofit, and corporate donors, simply make bringing our events to the community possible. Any remaining funds, should there be any, are used toward future events. Because event production often includes securing venue, vendor and travel reservations and supplies well in advance of our events, it remains critical that we judiciously manage the funds we collect for future use. |
| 4. Summary | All of Community Pride MI’s PRIDE events for 2025 are free to attend. This year accessibility to our PRIDE events is of critical importance given the growing anti-LGBTQ+ political and social environment. Our organization’s events, as well as similar events in other communities, are under constant attack from local residents and so-called religious organizations and are also in danger of losing historical funding sources. Our activities, speakers and musical talent appeal to a variety of people, while also promoting the importance of collaboration and community in these very uncertain times. We know our role within the LGBTQ+ community is important in the greater Saugatuck-Douglas area. Our events provide a safe space for the marginalized and demonstrate that we take that role very seriously, celebrating our authentic selves and helping to fight political and social injustices wherever they arise. Our funding is generated directly from hosting these events in partnership with our donors and sponsors. We want to set an example for our youth and other communities that we are committed to being visible and active -- exactly what our opponents don’t want. With the support of organizations like West Shore Aware we can continue to make Saugatuck-Douglas a place where events like ours are celebrated, one of the many reasons it is the special place we know and love. |
| Application Agreement | This is an application, otherwise known as a Request for Funding (RFF), from
West Shore Aware. This RFF is a request from your organization to Aware, for Aware to host a
Fundraising Event for your organization. By completing this RFF, your organization is requesting to be considered by Aware’s membership for an Aware fundraising event to be held during the summer of this year, also known as the White Party.
If your organization is chosen for a fundraising event by the Aware membership, your organization will agree to the following terms and conditions for the said fundraising event. 1. Aware will be given and provided full credit for the fundraising event in all of you organization’s publicity and advertising for said event, to include but not limited to event posters, newspaper advertising, handouts, radio and television advertising for the event, and organizational announcements concerning the event. 2. Your organization will only use the funds raised by Aware from said event for the purpose described in the RFF submitted to Aware. 3. Your organization understands that West Shore Aware is a philanthropic organization of LBGTQ+ individuals and their supporters, and that the funds your organization receives from Aware will be coming from the West Michigan lakeshore community. 4. The funds received from Aware as a result of the fundraising event will be net, after expenses for said fundraising event are paid. 5. Aware may use the name of your organization in its own advertising and publicity as a recipient of funds.. 6. Your organization will supply Aware with written approval to hold, or be part of a fundraising event held by Aware. 7. West Shore Aware reserves the right to audit any organization that receives funding to determine whether the funds were used as described in its RFF. 8. Your organization will allow West Shore Aware to use you organization’s name on the West Shore Aware website. In addition, if your organization has a website, you will link that website to the West Shore Aware website and allow West Shore Aware to link to your organization’s site. West Shore Aware’s web site link must remain on your web site for a full year from the date of the monetary disbursement. Failure to do so will disqualify you from requesting future funding. Once you have completed the RFF and agreed to the aforementioned, please submit it. Please sign this document below, indicating acceptance of the aforementioned terms and conditions. By signing the document, you acknowledge your organization is a registered 501(C) 3 Charitable organization. |
| Signature | |
| Date | 03/28/2025 |
| Ready to Submit |
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