Community Foundation Research and Development Incubator
Midwest Community Foundations' Ventures
- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Enhancing Community Philanthropy
- Grant Amount $220,782
- Grant Period January 1, 2005–December 31, 2006
- Location Grand Haven, MI, United States
- Geographic Focus Michigan
About this grant
Michigan Community Foundations’ Ventures created the Community Foundation Research and Development Incubator to develop educational materials and marketing tools for community foundations nationwide. The goal of the incubator is to explore ways to enhance public awareness of community foundations through the use of marketing, branding and other tools.Multiyear funding will enable the incubator to develop and test marketing materials in Michigan focused on: professional advisers and wealthy individuals, chief target audiences for community foundation marketing; donor-advised funds and new means to attract gifts of property; and bequests by wills, unrestricted fund development, planned giving, and philanthropic services to donors and their families. Funding will also be used to develop an Internet-based learning tool for community foundations called "Community Impact," which helps community foundations assess the impact of their grantmaking.Recent accomplishments included developing and sharing five marketing portfolios; and recruiting more than 350 community foundation staff members and trustees for the incubator’s 12 capacity development conference calls.