OVERVIEW: The Wege Foundation supports education, environment, arts and culture, healthcare and community service projects in western Michigan.
IP TAKE: The Wege Foundation is a Michigan funder with “a deep commitment to racial justice, community development and environmental protection.” It’s an accessible and well-rounded foundation that supports many different Grand Rapids-area nonprofits with significant grants twice per year. Although it lists the environment as its largest funding area, education is its most flexible with specialized education projects supported in its other program areas as well (environmental education, arts education, nursing education, etc.). This funder accepts unsolicited applications from nonprofits operating in western Michigan. Reach out to staff with questions or to discuss your project.
PROFILE: Established in 1967, the Wege Foundation is a private foundation based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is the foundation of Peter Martin Wege, who founded the Metal Office Furniture Company, also known as Steelcase Inc., in 1912. The foundation aims to “plant seeds that develop leaders in economicology, health, education, and arts and enhance the lives of people in West Michigan and around the world.” It funds local efforts for education, environment, arts and culture, healthcare and community service, and it prioritizes DEI, civic engagement, environmental sustainability, and organizational stability across all of its funding areas.
Grants for Environment, Marine and Freshwater, Wildlife
According to the foundation’s own reporting, the Environment program receives 35% of all grantmaking and is Wege’s largest funding area. The program has four distinct goals and environment grants support each:
Provide access to experiential education focused on the environment
Restore and preserve the lower Grand River watershed
Promote sustainable development in the Grand Rapids area
Advocate for policies that protect the environment statewide, including the Great Lakes
Past environment grantees include Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids Whitewater, Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund, and National Parks Conservation Association, each of which has received millions over the years.
Strictly-local grantees include West Michigan Environmental Action Council Educational Foundation, Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, Grand Rapids Urban League, Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds, and Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited, as well as Grand Rapids Public Museum and Great Lakes Children’s Museum, both for environmental education programs.
Grants for Early Childhood Education, K-12 and Higher Education
Wege’s Education program receives about 25% of its annual grantmaking and supports pre-K through post-secondary extracurricular learning opportunities. It funds projects that provide disadvantaged students with access to learning opportunities that advance academic achievement and teach needed life skills, and it supports programs that increase the involvement of adult caregivers and mentors in children’s education.
The Environment program also supports education projects that give local students access to experiential learning opportunities rooted in “real world” environmental issues affecting the local community.
Aquinas College has seen millions in grants over the years, as has the Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation and the Blandford Nature Center. Other previous grantees include Ferris State University, Michigan Colleges Alliance, Michigan State University, San Juan Diego Academy, Kendall College of Art and Design, Lowell Area Schools, and Forest Hills Public Schools.
The foundation also co-sponsors the Wedge Prize, an annual international student design competition that awards $65,000 in prizes.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Wege Foundation’s Arts & Culture program sees about 20% of total grantmaking, but several local organizations have seen continued support for decades. Arts and culture grants fund creative expression in diverse neighborhoods and programs that provide access to the arts for broad audiences.
Previous grantees include the Grand Rapids Art Museum, which has received grants totaling tens of millions over the years. Other grantees include Grand Rapids Ballet, Grand Rapids Symphony Society, Grand Rapids Cable Access Center, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, and Opera Grand Rapids.
Grants for Community Development and Public Health
The Community Health & Wellbeing program receives about 20% of total funding and combines support for both healthcare and community development under one program. These grants support efforts to address the root causes of racial inequities in health and healthcare, housing and homelessness, and economic insecurity.
Previous grantees include Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids Nonprofit Housing Corporation, Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition, American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan, and Catherine’s Health Center.
Important Grant Details
Grants typically range between about $1,000 and $250,000, although they can occasionally reach as high as $650,000. The most common amount is $25,000. The foundation awarded over $18 million in grants in a recent year and held more than $331 million in assets.
The Wege Foundation awards approximately 25 percent of its grants to arts and culture, 25 percent to the environment, 25 percent to education, 15 percent to healthcare and 10 percent to community service. Grantmaking focuses on western Michigan, with a majority of grants staying in the city of Grand Rapids.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits following successful passing of an eligibility quiz.
It accepts applications submitted online in the spring and fall each year.
Read over the grant FAQ before applying.
Direct general questions to the staff at 616-957-0480 or via online form.
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