Community Feature
Walking Alongside Community: Building Trust & Relationships for Community-Informed Projects
The Community Foundation for Muskegon County (CFMC) and the City of Muskegon Heights received a nearly $1 million grant through the CMF/Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Spark Grant Program Partnership.
The City of Muskegon Heights is one of 29 designated “opportunity communities” that received grants through the $27.5 million program in the summer of 2024.
Administered by CMF in partnership with the Michigan DNR, and facilitated by the Governor’s Office of Foundation Liaison, the program was established in 2024 to equitably guide resources to communities and expand access to healthy indoor and outdoor recreation projects where there has been little or no previous parks and recreation investment.
More than 15 community foundations serve as conveners, collaborating with their communities that are receiving Spark funding, ensuring community voice is centered in the projects. CFMC is one of those community foundations.
Todd Jacobs, president and CEO of CFMC, shared that when the Spark opportunity was introduced to their team, it aligned with what the community foundation has been trying to achieve, which has been earmarked to help bring both economic and educational balance back to the community of Muskegon Heights.
“We saw this as an opportunity where we could really lean in and leverage some of our relationships. It provided an opportunity for the community foundation and the Greater Muskegon Economic Development (GMED) to walk alongside the community and the city leadership to create something that would be tangible for all community members, particularly youth,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs shared that CFMC underwent a strategic plan in 2019, during which the board of trustees identified three focus areas designed to build a vibrant community. The DNR Spark program aligns with this strategy, particularly as it relates to supporting underrepresented communities.
“The program did not focus on picking an urban or rural community that looked like something specific; it looked across the board at communities that traditionally haven’t received funding from the DNR. The mindfulness and awareness that throughout the state there are communities that need assistance and individuals to walk alongside them,” Jacobs said.
CFMC is taking a unique leadership role in managing and navigating the funding to redevelop the city’s two-acre Rowan Park, including the installation of a splash pad, the addition of essential public restroom facilities, landscaping and ADA-compliant enhancements.
“From a capacity standpoint, if we couldn’t step in to support this work, the ability of the city to manage a grant of this scope was going to be challenging. We understood that Muskegon Heights has been under-resourced for decades, and being able to lean in was a critical element, as well as allowing the city to maximize the skill sets they had. It has taken all three organizations to make this project happen,” Jacobs said.
Amy Moore, vice president of Nonprofit Capacity and Community Engagement at CFMC, shared that the community foundation leaned in to help foster the relationship between GMED and the City of Muskegon Heights.
These cultivated relationships stemmed from previous CFMC partnerships. In 2019, the community foundation, GMED, the Muskegon Heights Downtown Development Authority and the city partnered to complete a Downtown Muskegon Heights vision plan.
“Although the plan was stalled due to COVID, we were able to come back together when the DNR Spark opportunity presented itself. It was a way for the community to see there’s still a vision and having this come to fruition has been very powerful,” Moore said.
For years, the community foundation has committed to supporting the efforts of GMED and other partnerships. When CFMC revisited its work in Muskegon Heights a few years ago, it established a strategy to build trust and relationships with the community. CFMC staff began meeting in spaces where the community organically spent time with each other.
Todd Jacobs
President & CEO
Community Foundation for Muskegon County
“At the end of the day, the DNR Spark program will serve as a very positive thing, when looked back upon in five to 10 years in terms of how catalytic this will be for so many communities like it is for Muskegon Heights,” Jacobs said.
“When people see us at different community events and meeting spaces where they do day-to-day life, it builds trust and enables us to do the work. From our lens, if we’re not involved in all communities holistically, then it will always remain transactional,” Martha Brown, Scholarship & Community Investment officer at CFMC, said.
Brown shared that the CFMC staff are in the community to absorb and gather feedback.
“Then we can come back to our table to determine what is the best way we can use that information to serve or support the citizens in Muskegon Heights,” Brown said.
Now, the community foundation is utilizing its partnerships to support community and cross-sector partnerships in the redevelopment of Rowan Park.
“This park project is a tangible, visual demonstration of positive change that aligns with the Reaching New Heights Visioning Plan that the community developed several years ago. Thanks to CMF’s help navigating the DNR Spark grant process, we secured the financial support needed to help the community begin to fulfill its vision.” Moore said.
The revitalization of Rowan Park stands as a pivotal point in the ongoing redevelopment efforts within Muskegon Heights, with the community playing an integral role in shaping the project through previous work of the vision plan.
“It’s not our role to imagine what we think Muskegon Heights will look like. We can help support decisions that are made, but our role is to provide the opportunity for those community voices to be heard through strategic planning,” Jacobs said.
CFMC’s vision is to build a vibrant community with great opportunities for all, which Jacobs shared cannot be achieved without thinking of the entire community.
“If any of the work that you’re doing is for the community, you must provide voice and opportunity for engagement; you must lend safe places for voice. We must acknowledge that in philanthropy, we may not always look like the communities we’re serving but we could potentially be the greatest advocate and ally to help with the work and even advance some important policy decisions,” Jacobs said.
The Rowan Park revitalization will serve as a space to foster community connections, assist with community building, visitor engagement and more for Muskegon Heights to thrive.
“At the end of the day, the DNR Spark program will serve as a very positive thing, when looked back upon in five to 10 years in terms of how catalytic this will be for so many communities like it is for Muskegon Heights,” Jacobs said.
The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2025.
Want more?
View the full list of communities participating in the CMF/DNR Spark Grant Program.
Learn more about CMF’s Statewide Equity Fund.