More than a million dollars in local grants have been announced in the past 72 hours.

Rotary Charities’ fall-cycle grants totaled $749,000 dispersed among 31 organizations. Prominent among them is a $75,000 grant to the Kalkaska DDA to build a Community Information Center in Railroad Square, an anchor project in the village’s downtown revitalization. Cash Cook, the executive director of the Kalkaska DDA, says it will serve to market local events and businesses, as well as safety and emergency information.

Other Rotary grants include:
Arts for All: $9,000 for special education classrooms in Leelanau County
Blackbird Arts: $12,500 for Community Arts: Voices & Visibility Program
City of Traverse City: $45,000
Communities in Schools:  $50,000
Conservation Resource Alliance: $70,000
El Grupo Norte: $25,000
Father Fred Foundation: $31,500
Friends of Easling Pool: $70,000
Glen Arbor Art Association: $10,000
Honor Area Restoration Project: $50,000
Justice for Our Neighbors: $11,000
Youth Housing Initiative: $75,000
Northwest Michigan Health Services: $30,000
Traverse Area Recreation Trails (TART): $75,000
5-County Substance Free Coalition: $30,000
Great Start Collaborative – Parent Learning Cohort: $25,000
Venture North: $35,000
Village of Elberta: $20,000

Also…

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation approved more than $180,000 in grant awards, bringing its yearly total to more than $2.3 million. This month’s awards went to:

Acme Christian Thrift Store & Food Pantry, $2,000
Alden Men’s Club, $1,200
Angel Care Child Care, $3,000
Arts for All of Northern Michigan, $4,000
Benzie Area Christian Neighbors, $4,500
Benzie Senior Resources, $3,000
Bethany Christian Services, $2,905
Bingham Twp., $1,000
Blessings in a Backpack, $3,500
Catholic Human Services, $4,814
Child and Family Services, $12,200
Communities in Schools of Northwest Michigan, $1,750
Eagle Village, Inc., $1,538
Elk Rapids Area Historical Society, $1,500
Elk Rapids High School, $2,000
Elk Rapids Public Schools, $250
Family Partnership, $3,500
Father Fred Foundation, $4,750
Forest Area Community Schools, $922
Frankfort High School, $2,478
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, $730
Friendship Community Center, $1,405
Glen Arbor Art Association, $800
Glen Lake Association, $1,000
Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools, $1,200
Grand Traverse Dyslexia Association, $8,000
Grass River Natural Area, $2,000
Great Lakes Children’s Museum, $500
Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall Association, $2,000
Inland Seas Education Association, $2,100
Junior Achievement of Northwest Michigan, $500
Kalkaska Area Interfaith Resources, $2,500
Kalkaska High School, $1,400
Lake Ann 5toOne Neighborhood Center/Methodist Church, $1,500
Land Information Access Association, $5,000
Leelanau Children’s Center, $7,500
Leelanau Christian Neighbors, $2,000
Leelanau County Cancer Foundation, $5,000
Leo Creek Preserve, $2,000
Love, INC., $3,000
Michael’s Place, $5,450
Michigan Challenge Traditional Sail Training, $750
Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, $3,550
Old Mission Peninsula Education Foundation, $1,000
Planned Parenthood of West and Northern MI, $500
Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan, $5,250
Salvation Army, $2,500
Samaritan’s Closet, $1,000
SEEDS, $2,600
Suttons Bay Pubic Schools, $7,735
TART Trails, $8,860
Thunder Bay Theatre, $1,500
Traverse City Area Public Schools, $14,954
Village of Elk Rapids, $4,500
Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, $5,000
Women’s Resource Center, $1,500
Zonta Club of Leelanau County, $850

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund approved a $222,000 grant requested by Homestead Township for the acquisition of a 53-acre property w/1,500 feet of frontage along the Platte River near Honor. Also approved was a $194,400 grant for a Universally Accessible (UA) boardwalk trail at the Timbers Recreation Area in Long Lake Township.

More than 50 organizations will receive funds from Cherry Republic through the company’s 2017 annual holiday campaign. It will include approximately $200,000 in grants to local organizations. Cherry Republic kicked off its “31 Days of Giving” with grants to the Leelanau Conservancy, For Love of Water (FLOW), and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.

The Michigan Skilled Trades Training Fund has awarded $430,000 in grants to 23 local businesses. Applied for through Northwest Michigan Works!, the grants will help the companies train workers in a variety of skills. The largest grant in the Grand Traverse area went to manufacturer Century, Inc., which received $137,500.

Pour For More, the local nonprofit connecting local beverage establishments and nonprofits, estimates that more than $60,000 will be raised this year, $5,000+ for each of this year's 12 beneficiaries. Each pub venue partner chooses a beverage on its menu and contributes $1 from each sale to the Pour for More fund.

A new group of recipients has been named to receive proceeds in 2018. They include: Human Nature School, SEEDS, Harm Reduction Michigan, Michael’s Place, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan, Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA), TC Community Garden, Boardman River Clean Sweep, Arts For All of Northern Michigan, The Father Fred Foundation, Grass River Natural Area and Great Lakes Children’s Museum.

The Peninsula Community Library received a $10,000 donation from the AcenTek Foundation, which will be used to purchase three multimedia projection systems. The library’s fundraising campaign also received $155,000 from Tom’s Food Markets. The funds are earmarked for the Children’s and Teen areas and will also help renovate a miniature food market in the children’s area of the library.

The Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula made an $8,000 contribution to the Old Mission Peninsula Education Foundation to be put toward start-up costs for the new Old Mission Peninsula School for its September 2018 opening.

More than $9,000 in grants from the General Endowment Fund and $6,810 from the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council have been awarded by the Leelanau Township Community Foundation. The General Endowment Fund grants include:

$2,500 to Samaritan’s Closet
$6,000 to Leelanau Christian Neighbors
$500 to Fox Island Lighthouse Association