Michigan Nonprofit Builds Support Network For Startup Founders With Focus On Philanthropy


Foundation: Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation

credit: 123rf

If you're a startup founder in Michigan, you're in luck: A new nonprofit aims to connect you with other like-minded entrepreneurs across the state, the Detroit Free Press reports.

"Our mission is pretty simple: We exist to grow the presence of diverse-led and successful high-growth ventures and advance civic leadership in Michigan's entrepreneurial ecosystem," says Trista Van Tine, executive director and co-founder of the Michigan Founders Fund.

The Ann Arbor-based nonprofit, which received federal designation as a 501(c)(3) organization in December, has more than 40 members consisting of startup founders and venture capitalists, and Van Tine says it wants to reach across the state to create a "founders-for-founders culture."

"For us to really help move Michigan forward, let's talk about Michigan being a place for tech to thrive and grow," says Erika Block, a tech entrepreneur who's now principal at Ann Arbor-based business coaching and consulting firm StickyLab.

Van Tine, who returned to the state after 14 years away, says Michigan is "at an inflection point for high-growth entrepreneurship and its long-term impact in our state."

Founders Fund plans to invest in causes including equity and inclusion, STEM education, and entrepreneurship. Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

The Growth of Social Enterprises €” For-Profit Businesses That Tackle a Social Problem

"Having a purposeful job actually does transform someone's life," says Edwin Walsh, who runs a social enterprise in Australia called Assembled Threads. "You actually are moving someone from...more

Westlock Community Foundation Helping Students Pursue Educational Opportunities

A new scholarship fund in Canada will help high school students who want to further their education, the CBC reports. The Westlock Community Foundation in Alberta received a $26,800 donation from...more

Community Foundation Celebrates 100 Years of Local Impact by Looking Ahead ...
Foundation: Lancaster County Community Foundation

In 2024, Lancaster County, Pa., will celebrate the 100th anniversary of a group of "visionaries" who "came together to shape a better future for Lancaster County," says Sam Bressi, president and CEO...more

Canada and India Announce Funding for Innovations to Improve Child Health

Canada is putting its money where its mouth is, with a $2.5 million investment in five projects in India meant to help the country's poor, the Toronto Star reports. "Many of these novel projects...more

Pennsylvania'S Creative Sector Booms, Contributing Over $30 Billion to State Economy

"These figures underscore the vital role that creativity and culture play not only in enriching community life but also in driving economic development." So says the chair of Pennsylvania's...more

Golfers Support Swings Fore Strings to Raise Money for Student Music Program

If you're looking for a good time while raising money for a good cause, try golf. The Salvation Army in Virginia Beach held its annual " Swings Fore Strings" fundraiser on Saturday, hoping to...more

Grant Funding to Bolster Operations at 17 Southern Indiana Nonprofits
Foundation: Community Foundation of Southern Indiana

"When you see the kids interacting and them building communitythat's what it is," says Camp Quality Kentuckiana executive director Eddie Bobbitt. "It's bigger than fishing and pie fights." The...more

Nshsf Grant Applications Due April 30

The Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation is now accepting applications for its statewide grants program, which will award up to $75,000 to historical and educational organizations in the...more

Philanthropic Youth Present Grants
Foundation: Community Giving Foundation

"There's one simple statement that we see a lotthat is 'be kind,'" said Kara Seesholtz, CEO of the Community Giving Foundation, after students from 15 school districts in central Pennsylvania handed...more

Madison Visionary Partners Awards 5 Community Impact Grants

The Alzheimer's Association's Forget-Me-Not program has a new toy in its arsenal: fidget blankets. The Madison Hospital in Alabama has received a $2,500 grant from the Huntsville Hospital...more





Meticulon, a project of Autism Calgary Association in partnership with the federal government and the Sinneave Family Foundation, operates as a social enterprise that renders high-tech services provided by people with autism, leveraging their natural abilities at requiring attention to detail, repetition, and sequencing.