On November 30, Fremont Area Community Foundation hosted 50 representatives from nonprofit organizations across the region at a grantwriting workshop at the Center for Hope and Healing in White Cloud. The workshop was held in partnership with the Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.

Past grant recipients of the Community Foundation and its affiliate foundations in Lake, Mecosta, and Osceola counties were invited to participate in the free learning opportunity led by Tamela Spicer, senior program manager at the Johnson Center. The presentation covered the basics of writing a grant proposal, provided guidance on finding the right voice and writing style, and shared tips for building relationships with potential funders. Organizations were able to submit grant application examples of their own for feedback during a small group peer review exercise.

During the workshop, Community Foundation staff members also provided information for making future grant applications more successful. They shared tips specific to Community Foundation grant rounds and talked about reporting impact. Staff members also answered questions about the grant application and decision-making processes.

“This capacity building workshop was designed to help our community partners and grant recipients be better equipped to secure support not only through the Community Foundation’s grant rounds but through other funding sources as well,” said Lindsay Hager, vice president and chief philanthropy officer at the Community Foundation. “We look forward to hosting more learning opportunities in 2023.”

The Community Foundation’s next grant application deadlines are February 1 for Bridging Generations Fund grants and March 1 for Youth Advisory Committee and community grants. For more information, visit facommunityfoundation.org/grants.