It’s impossible to quantify the impact of efforts to make Kalamazoo County the most equitable place to live. Here is just a snapshot of what we are accomplishing with the support, creativity and partnership of this community.
RECORD-BREAKING GRANT ROUND
$8M in grants requested
The first round of responsive grantmaking in 2022 was the largest ever with a number of applications coming from organizations that never submitted in the past. The grantmaking team partially attributes the increase to KZCF's movement toward trust-based philanthropy. The transparent, relationship-centered process is breaking down long-standing barriers to funding created by cultures of secrecy and exclusion.
Learn more about KZCF's move toward trust-based philanthropy.
REACHING MORE WOMEN RETURNING TO SCHOOL
45 applicants in 2021
128 applicants in 2022
The Women's Education Coalition Grant opens every Spring for women who have had a significant break in their education and are looking to increase financial dependence by completing their degree. The KZCF Scholarship team looked to expand the grant opportunity to more applicants in 2022.
"We revamped the list of sources we used to promote the grant by including agencies in all counties and not just emailing churches, but county health and human services departments, libraries, and places that were overlooked before," says Hollywood Watkins, Scholarship Coordinator at KZCF.
As a result, the number of applications nearly tripled.
KZCF offers scholarships opportunities throughout the year, including emergencies scholarships to help students cover unexpected or unmet financial needs.
