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Anyone interested in pursuing their education during the 2022-2023 school year is encouraged to apply for scholarships through the Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation.  Grand Rapids Community Foundation Executive Director, Susan Lynch, states, “We have over 150 scholarships valued at approximately $225,000 to award in scholarships and applying is easy.  You can go to our website www.gracf.org and click Apply for Scholarships.” All students, both traditional and nontraditional, are encouraged to apply, as there is a wide variety of scholarships available:  academic, vocational, technical, certifications.  The application period runs from February 1, 2022 to midnight on March, 1, 2022.  Apply

Foster Love Closet has been quietly operating in Grand Rapids, for a few years, helping families find needed items for children of all ages such as baby gear, baby food, diapers, clothes, toys and books - all free of charge. Community member, Karen Tinquist, started Foster Love Closet to fill a gap she saw in the community. She volunteers her time for this project but does have additional help from family and friends. Karen started Foster Love Closet to help foster children and kinship and adoptive families get a head start. When the pandemic started, however, she and her husband

Thanks to a partnership with the Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation, local organizations, businesses, and community members were able to financially support the campaign to improve Noble Hall Field at the Grand Rapids High School (GRHS).  Artificial turf, manufactured by FieldTurf, was installed during summer 2020 and the Nevco video scoreboard for the turf field was erected in spring 2021. The new, improved field made an immediate impact on our GRHS students. Despite the pandemic, with restrictions on the number of contests and games that could be played, the turf field has been a huge improvement. GRHS physical education classes

The Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation (GRACF) provides an open, annual grant cycle for non-profit organizations that runs from July 15 – August 15 each year. In 2021, the annual grant cycle provided over $190,000 in 43 grants to 32 area nonprofit organizations and groups that serve the Greater Itasca Area.  This last year was another challenging year for local nonprofits who continue to navigate through the pandemic. Second Harvest North Central Food Bank was a recipient of three grants in the 2021 annual grant cycle. Second Harvest provides food and grocery products to over 100 hunger relief partners in

There are five area Community Funds and the McGregor Lakes Area Foundation that provide a way for citizens and businesses to give to their local community.  Each Fund has an advisory committee of volunteers that oversee grants for programs and activities throughout their communities.  Annual earnings derived from the invested endowment fund are granted to local non-profit organizations and provide charitable support for area citizens.   The Deer River Area Community Fund includes areas within and surrounding Deer River School District 317.  The Greater Itasca Area Community Fund is available in Bigfork, Blackduck, Cohasset, Grand Rapids, Northome, Remer, Warba and