The Berrien Community Foundation has announced $229,000 in grants as part of its 71st Annual Meeting and Celebration.
The event was held this week at the Mendel Center’s Grand Upton Hall. The theme this year was “All You Need Is Love,” and the BCF gave out five awards.
The 2023 Alamar Nonprofit Sustainability Grant of $75,000 was awarded to Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation to hire a fundraising professional.
The Carolyn’s Kids grant program awarded two $50,000 grants, one to Michiana Public Broadcasting for the PBS KIDS television channel, and the other to ZoY! Expeditions for startup costs as a nonprofit that seeks to get kids outdoors.
The $50,000 Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Grant was presented to Rising Kites to support launching a coffee shop that employs people with disabilities.
The Berrien Community Foundation also honored two community members with the Golden Acorn Volunteer Award this year for the work they have done with Backpacks For Good. The winners were Rochelle Ulleg and Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey.
Finally, the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency was selected as the 2023 Golden Acorn Award for Excellence for its work with the Backpacks For Good program.
BCF Program Director Susan Matheny announced $6.9 million in grants and $368,000 in scholarships had been awarded by the organization in the last year.
