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Endowment board reports 61 grant requests; awarded $51,000 this cycle
Summary
The Grand Rapids Public School District Endowment Committee said it received 61 grant requests totaling $137,000 for 2025 and awarded $51,000; the committee reported typical annual awards of about $35,000–$37,000 and said it is expanding outreach to reach more schools and donors.
The Endowment Committee reported to the Grand Rapids Public School District board that its 2025 granting cycle drew 61 requests totaling $137,000, of which the committee awarded $51,000.
Stephanie Gamble, co-chair of the endowment board, said the committee has broadened outreach to include more community members, students and ISC 318 staff and is trying to spread awards across district schools rather than concentrating them in a few locations. "We received 61 requests. Those 61 requests totaled a 137,000. And of that, we were able to give 51,000," Gamble said.
Gamble said the board typically distributes between $35,000 and $37,000 a year, though some years include larger, earmarked gifts from outside sources such as the Community Foundation to support field trips or other one-off projects. Board members asked about staff supports the endowment provides; Gamble said the committee purchases teacher-appreciation items (recently cookies through the high school food service) and promotes grant opportunities via flyers and social media to grow donor outreach and application submissions.
The Endowment Committee said it has recruited several new members for 2025–26 and continues to seek additional volunteers and donors to expand available funds and reach more classrooms. The board did not take formal action on the report.
