Latest News
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Hiking, biking and paddling from Point A to Point B in the beauty of Berrien County got a boost with a $10,000 grant from the Berrien Community Foundation last week. The funds will support a county-wide trails and waterways plan spearheaded by the Friends of Berrien County Trails.
The grant helps fund a master plan to examine existing trails and sites for future trails that cover longer distances. Abonmarche has been tapped to do the study. It is important because it looks at the county as a whole rather than just one specific region within...
Friday, September 10, 2021
The Berrien Community Foundation Arts Challenge – Act 2 was a smash hit! The community once again went above and beyond to meet a $60,000 challenge made by a small group of donors to support local arts organizations.
“We made it!” said Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey. “We are grateful for everyone who gave to the Arts Challenge. These organizations can continue to rebuild with the confidence knowing the community has their backs.”
More than $95,000 was raised during the month-long initiative, which concluded Aug....
Friday, August 6, 2021
The Berrien Community Foundation (BCF) is helping students get ready to learn this fall by providing over 3,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to students across Berrien County.
BCF will host four Backpacks For Good school readiness events for students attending Niles, Brandywine, Coloma, Watervliet and Hagar #6 schools as well as students residing in the 49022 zip code. New this year is the Benton Harbor Backpacks For Good, sponsored by Whirlpool Corporation.
Backpacks For Good Events:
For Brandywine Students:August 10, 5 – 7 p.m. at...
Monday, August 2, 2021
It was a tough year for the arts in our community. Shuttered venues left arts organizations unable to perform or gather to support their work. The first BCF Arts Challenge to the community raised over $200,000 during the height of the pandemic to help these organizations survive. Now, partnering with the Berrien Community Foundation, a small group of donors have issued a similar challenge to help these organizations with the funding they need to re-open and continue to thrive.
This amazing group of donors has pledged a total of $60,000 if...
Monday, July 26, 2021
Berrien Community Foundation awarded $7,500 in grants to support beach access and community banners in Harbor Country. These annual grants for Harbor Country projects were made possible by a legacy gift from William J. Deputy, a philanthropist who had people and the community top of mind.
The first William J. Deputy Grant supports the Village of Michiana’s “Lake View” project. Due to limited beach access caused by erosion, the village sought funds to add park benches on the lakefront to be enjoyed by sunset spectators, and runners and walkers...
Monday, June 28, 2021
Berrien Community Foundation had a record-breaking year in the total amount of dollars given away through scholarships.
Split between 73 scholarships, $296,500 has been awarded for the 2021-2022 school year, the foundation has announced.
“This year we are awarding more scholarship dollars than we ever have,” said BCF President Lisa Cripps-Downey. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors and these outstanding students, it’s a great year for scholarships!”
BCF scholarships are established by donors to support students who excel in academics,...
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
BCF recently awarded more than $100,000 in For Good Grants to organizations as they resume programming and push to innovate themselves through the challenges COVID-19 has produced.
Inspired by their successful outdoor Acorn Anywhere! events in 2020, the Acorn Center for the Performing Arts sought funding to renovate a portion of their property into a welcoming atmosphere for live music concerts.
“This For Good Grant will make it possible for us to transform our backyard space — which hasn't been used for years — into a music venue where our...
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook Nuclear Plant “Heart of Cook” Earth Day Environmental Grant Committee announced the Berrien County Conservation District as the recipient of its second annual $5,000 Earth Day Environmental Grant Award.
The Heart of Cook is a corporate advised fund held by the Berrien Community Foundation that has provided over $1 million to nonprofit organizations over the last 17 years. However, unlike the traditional Heart of Cook grants that were awarded last week to 36 nonprofit organizations totaling $92,000, the new...
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Bridgman, Mich. – The Heart of Cook has awarded grants to 36 area non-profit organizations in its 2021 grant cycle, totaling $92,000. The Heart of Cook is a corporate-advised fund held by the Berrien Community Foundation.
Traditionally, Heart of Cook Grant Awards are presented in person at a grant reception hosted by the Cook Nuclear Plant’s Heart of Cook Grant Committee. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the decision was made to once again forego the in-person reception in order to get the much-needed dollars into the hands of the...
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Creating a more accessible space to honor Berrien Township veterans is exactly how grant dollars from the Berrien Springs Area Endowment will be used.
“We gladly donated a portion of the cost to help them go ahead with the project,” said Dick Bartz, chairman of the Berrien Springs Area Endowment.
The project centers around moving the monument from its current location at the site of the former post office on the corner of Deans Hill Road and M-140 to its upcoming location across the street at the Berrien Township Hall park. The move is needed...