Rotary Charities Awards $400,000 to Strengthen Local Community Assets
Rotary Charities of Traverse City announced $400,000 in Fall 2025 grants to ten nonprofits and public partners across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties. The awards fund projects from affordable homes and library expansions to watershed restoration and a 19,000 square foot bicycle pump track, aiming to expand access, opportunity, and belonging for local residents.
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Rotary Charities of Traverse City has distributed $400,000 in its Fall 2025 grant cycle to ten organizations working on community asset building across five northern Michigan counties. The awards were made through the Assets for Thriving Communities program and a Systems Change Accelerator grant, reflecting a strategic focus on projects that increase access to housing, public space, environmental health, cultural life, and civic infrastructure.
The largest single awards at $50,000 each went to the Housing Trust of Benzie, Grow Benzie, Norte Youth Cycling, and the Northwest Michigan Arts and Culture Network. Housing Trust of Benzie will use its $50,000 Assets for Thriving Communities grant to complete four single family homes in the Cottages at Corning development, with the homes to be sold to working Benzie County families at a subsidized cost. Funding will cover paving for driveways and sidewalks, landscaping, a pavilion, and privacy fencing to enhance livability and long term value.
Grow Benzie received a $50,000 Systems Change Accelerator grant to support a one year backbone strengthening initiative. The investment is intended to fund facilitated convenings, professional communications, improved administrative systems, and business planning to scale shared services county wide. Organizers say the grant is meant to build capacity so collaborative county level solutions can reach more residents.
Norte Youth Cycling’s $50,000 award will fund construction of a 19,000 square foot bicycle pump track at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center. The facility is planned as a free inclusive community space for riders of all ages and abilities. The Northwest Michigan Arts and Culture Network received $50,000 to expand the regional Arts and Culture Summit for 2026 and 2027, building on a 2025 pilot and aiming to institutionalize a sustainable regional gathering.
Other recipients include the Elk Rapids District Library which received $41,500 to support renovation and expansion that will double community space and create a fully accessible modern facility, and Friends of the Fife Lake Public Library which received $41,500 to develop a multi use community hub that expands technology access and programming for rural residents. Leelanau Conservancy was awarded $25,000 to protect and restore the Sugar Loaf Scenic Area, with work to reduce erosion, support native species, and improve watershed health while maintaining public access. Conservation Resource Alliance received $40,000 to complete a comprehensive stream restoration at Mitchell Creek Meadows and establish a demonstration site in partnership with local governments, conservancies, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. A local organization received $40,000 to upgrade a heat and serve kitchen to expand meal service capacity and veteran programming. The Elberta Labor Heritage Center received $12,000 to establish a permanent home for the Elberta Heritage Center and WUWU Community Radio, preserving local history and reinvigorating Main Street public space.
Taken together, these grants target tangible improvements that can reduce barriers to housing, boost recreation and cultural tourism, strengthen environmental resilience, and increase civic capacity. For residents, the awards promise new amenities, expanded services, and infrastructure that supports both daily life and longer term economic stability. Those interested in additional details or future funding opportunities can visit www.RotaryCharities.org/Funding.
