Community Feature
Bold Commitment to Equitable Rural Housing & Development
Allegan County Community Foundation (ACCF) announced a commitment to impact investing, pledging up to 5% of its endowment, nearly $1.5 million, directly to projects that address affordable housing and workforce development in the county.
The initiative, which was announced in late 2025 at the community foundation’s 60th anniversary celebration, represents ACCF’s deepened commitment to using every tool at its disposal to strengthen the local economy, address community challenges, and drive sustainable growth.
“Every dollar entrusted to the foundation should work for the good of Allegan County,” Kevin Harness, treasurer of the ACCF, said. “Impact investing allows us to put our assets to work twice, earning returns while creating opportunities for housing, local business growth, and innovative community solutions. It’s philanthropy in action.”
Stephanie Calhoun, president/CEO of the ACCF, says she saw the benefits of impact investing from other rural communities from her peers in CMF’s network of community foundation CEOs.
“We’re proud to join the growing number of community foundations nationwide leveraging their endowments to achieve greater local impact,” Stephanie Calhoun, president/CEO of the ACCF, said. “This is about investing in people, in places, and in the future we’re building together.”
Calhoun said with growing housing needs in the rural county and a lack of investment from developers in local projects, the community foundation wanted to make a bold commitment. The announcement has helped their housing work gain traction, drawing in developers.
“There’s a lot of need in our community,” Calhoun shared. “When we made the announcement, we started getting all of these developers knocking on our door.”
Developers have approached the community foundation about a potential workforce housing project in an underserved area and a child care facility.
“If a county does not have an organization that’s leading those housing efforts, the community foundation should step into that empty space. And if it does exist in your community, then definitely be a resource for the people already doing the work,” Calhoun said.
ACCF’s housing efforts have been shaped by a housing needs assessment conducted in late 2022 that gathered input from partners and community members. The assessment revealed that the county has a large base of senior households, which is expected to grow significantly. There is a need for more affordable housing, as more than 10,000 people live below the poverty level.
Calhoun said they need a wide range of housing options, as community feedback showed the county is in need of affordable rentals, for-sale housing, housing for those who earn lower wages and affordable senior-oriented housing.
It is projected that the county will be 6,200 housing units short by 2027.
This was why Calhoun felt a sense of urgency to use more tools, such as impact investing and relationship-building with elected officials.
“We’re not going to build 6,200 units in two years. Focusing on getting people to come on board has been really important. That’s been our consistent messaging for the townships or the cities that want to work on housing: we’re willing to partner. We’re trying to be very collaborative." - Stephanie Calhoun, President/CEO of ACCF
To do dedicated, ongoing outreach with elected officials and work with other partners in the housing space, ACCF created a role specifically focused on housing. They hired Chris Kleinjans, ACCF’s community impact officer-housing, who has spent a lot of the last year building relationships with local elected officials and seeing who is interested in doing housing work.
Kleinjans has attended every single township or city governing board meeting, introduced himself during public comments, and shared about the community foundation’s housing work with an invitation to connect.
“The majority of last year’s advocacy and outreach efforts were to bring data and numbers to the anecdotal ideas everyone has about housing in Allegan County. No one doubts that there is need, the question is how to address it,” Kleinjans said. “By looking at housing through a wider lens we can convene and discuss what part each village, city and township can play in the solution.”
Once a quarter, Kleinjans hosts lunches for local elected officials, planning commissions and partners in each quadrant of the county to discuss housing needs and opportunities for partnership. In early 2026, Kleinjans kicked off a series of 6:45 am breakfast meetings, recognizing that many of their local officials are farmers and mid-day can be a scheduling challenge for them.
“Housing is about community. Each engagement where we bring local leaders together is a chance for everyone to learn what others have been doing. Working in local government administration or being an elected official is a big time commitment to your community. And while every unit of local government is unique, a lot of problems can discuss and solutions found while sharing a meal,” Kleinjans said.
As conversations are ongoing and interest is building, Calhoun anticipates the community foundation will make its first investment in 2026.