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Grants & Impact
The HOPE Fund provides grants and technical assistance to local nonprofit organizations.
Grants & Impact
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Leading the Way
In 1994, concerned civic leaders collaborated with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to confront a challenge. The LGBTQ+ community — from youth to seniors — desperately lacked essential human and social services. Very few nonprofit agencies offered support programs, and those that did were underfunded and understaffed,
In response, The HOPE Fund was created as a grantmaking and technical assistance program to focus on strengthening organizations and projects that serve this community. In 1995, a pivotal $43,000 challenge grant was received from the national Funders for LGBTQ Issues that helped to launch the initiative.
In the nearly three decades since its inception, generous donors have contributed more than $4 million to support The HOPE Endowment Fund, its grantmaking program, and related efforts.
Positively Impacting the Community
To date, more than 170 grants totaling over $2.5 million have been distributed, resulting in a more responsive, creative array of services, programs and organizations. The HOPE Fund endowment continues to grow and will be able to meet any future needs of the community.
The HOPE Fund is the first partnership of its kind in Michigan. This unique structure within the Community Foundation provides:
- Support for capacity-building for agencies, which leads to increased efficiency internally
- Support for efforts involving two or more agencies to collaborate in meaningful ways, leading to more efficiency and impact in the community
- Support for efforts that increase the effectiveness, voice and visibility of the community in the state of Michigan
Supporting HOPE for the Future
Your support is important. We ask you to consider supporting The HOPE Fund today. Here are some ways you can make a difference.
- Give to HOPE’s Annual Fund: Many organizations need support today. The HOPE Annual Fund provides immediate support for a variety of program areas, including youth leadership development, organizational capacity building, and support for seniors.
- The HOPE Endowment Fund: The needs of the community continue to change. As we’ve seen with the pandemic, this fund allows the Community Foundation to respond to needs as they arise over time.
Thank you for your support of The HOPE Fund. We welcome hearing from you. For more information about The HOPE Fund or to identify needs you see in our community, please contact us.
Stay connected and get updates about The HOPE Fund
Thank you for your interest in the HOPE Fund.
We are currently not accepting applications through our grants portal, but if you are interested in applying for a grant from the HOPE Fund, please contact impact@cfsem.org and our team will get back to you.