Women of Color GIVE awards $74K to lakeshore-area nonprofits
Women of Color GIVE recently announced the final award recipients of its 2025 grant cycle, concluding its largest giving year to date with $74,000 awarded to three nonprofits serving the lakeshore.
HOLLAND — Women of Color GIVE recently announced the final award recipients of its 2025 grant cycle, concluding its largest giving year to date with $74,000 awarded to three nonprofits serving the lakeshore.
This year’s funding theme, InvestHER: Investing in Women of Color as Leaders, Innovators, and Changemakers, highlighted initiatives that uplift women of color through leadership, innovation and community transformation.
Final award placements were determined through a two-part evaluation process: a digital application followed by an in-person pitch exclusively for WOCG Investors on Dec. 10. Scores from both steps were combined to determine the final rankings.
Since its founding in 2020, Women of Color GIVE has distributed over $308,000 to local nonprofits strengthening communities along the lakeshore. WOCG Investors — women of color and allies — play an active role in nominating, reviewing, scoring, and voting each year. Each investor contributes $75 quarterly to a shared donor-advised fund, collectively shaping the organization’s annual grantmaking decisions.
2025 grant award winners
First place: $37,000
Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates: protecting and empowering immigrants through legal services, education and advocacy.
Second place: $22,000
Brave Space: providing trauma-informed support and advocacy for youth and families navigating systems of care.
Third place: $15,000
Holland Public Schools Educational Foundation: advancing equity and leadership opportunities for students and families of color.
“We are so excited about the ways in which each of these organizations is committed to advancing and elevating BIPOC and Women of Color voices and initiatives in our community,” said Jennifer Vanhekken, president of Women of Color GIVE. “We are thrilled to welcome them as funded partners along the Lakeshore.”
To learn more about Women of Color GIVE or how to become an investor, visit wocgive.org or email wocgive@gmail.com.
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