| Organization information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name | Allegan County Community Foundation - PRIDE Fund |
| Please tell us the amount of funding you are requesting Aware to raise for your organization from the Aware annual fundraising event. | $15,000.00 $7,500 toward fund endowment |
| 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? | Number of clients to-be served and/or number of services to-be offered are difficult to estimate and would depend on the grant(s) awarded to Allegan County non-profits serving LGBTQIA+ friends and neighbors. If, for example, we fund a free mental health program of Allegan County youth, our goal could be to serve 50+ LGBTQIA+ youth. If we fund a county-wide conference for elder service providers on the critical need of providing safe and affirming elder care spaces, we could serve 100's of community members. |
| Please provide a listing of the Officers and Board members of your organization. | Ricardo Bazan - Board Chair |
| Your Contact Information | Sara Ruiter |
| Phone | 616-745-1322 |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Scoring Criteria | |
| 1. Description of the Organization (maximum 5 points, please limit to ½ pages) | With the wisdom and foresight of a small group of civic minded individuals, the Allegan County Community Foundation (ACCF) was established in 1965. Our first endowed fund was created in 1969 by Mr. Ethol Stone with a $1.2M bequest. Pairing donors’ charitable intentions with the most pressing needs that exist in Allegan County is the unique privilege of the ACCF. Fifty-eight years later the Foundation is still assisting donors meet those needs. The ultimate mission of the Allegan County Community Foundation (ACCF) is to positively impact Allegan County through financial stewardship, education and community partnerships. Currently, the ACCF grants out approximately $1 million dollars to local Allegan County non-profits and students pursuing post high school education. The ACCF PRIDE Fund was founded in 2023 and will be awarding its first grant(s) to local Allegan County non-profits serving LGBTQIA+ community members in the Spring of 2024. The mission of the ACCF PRIDE Fund is to promote safe, affirming environments for LGBTQIA+ communities within Allegan County by increasing visibility, allyship, multigenerational support, access to resources and promoting physical and mental health. The PRIDE Fund funding priorities include: |
| 2. Funding Request (maximum 35 points, total, please limit to 1 page) | The ACCF PRIDE Fund is requesting a $15,000.00 grant from the generous West Shore Aware community. The newly established PRIDE fund is the only fund of its kind and will fund programs, resources, education and support services specifically focused on LGBTQIA+ community members in Allegan County. For far too long our LGBTQIA+ friends and neighbors have been expected to travel to Holland, Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo in order to obtain the services or resources they need to live full lives. This is not acceptable and not even an option for many lower income folks in our community. This historically marginalized and disenfranchised demographic has been severely underserved in Allegan County for decades and it is our collective goal to see that change in dramatic fashion. The funds requested would be used as follows: |
| 3. Funding Justification (maximum 40 points, please limit to 1 page) | We anticipate, if awarded our request from AWARE, that our PRIDE fund will award proposed project(s) that can be fully funded or mostly funded. All AWARE Funding received will be granted out to local non-profits serving LGBTQIA+ community members. We cannot comment on the operating budget of to-be-awarded non-profits until they are awarded - but are happy to provide this information to West Shore Aware if that would be helpful. ACCF operating costs are fully covered by an endowed fund here at the Foundation. |
| 4. Summary | The ACCF PRIDE Fund is the FIRST and ONLY fund that currently exists to fund programs, resources and support services for the LGBTQIA+ residents of Allegan County. These community members have long been underserved, under resourced and not prioritized for service delivery. That must change. The PRIDE fund exists to provide funding to local Allegan County non-profits who desire to serve this demographic with care and excellence. We envision a county where every high school has a thriving GSA club and the crisis-level bullying behavior currently experienced by many of our local youth no longer exists, a county full of mental health resources and providers specifically trained to engage in helpful and affirming ways with LGBTQIA+ clients, medical providers and health care systems that are safe and affirming for LGBTQIA+ community members and resources for the parents and/or caregivers of LGBTQIA+ children/youth where they currently do not exist. A $15,000.00 award from AWARE towards PRIDE Fund grants will provide critical monetary resources to fund these critical projects, most of which do not currently exist in Allegan County. |
| 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 | 11/21/2023 |
| Ready to Submit |
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