2026 Grant Cycle Schedule

Spring Capital
Closed April 1, 2026

Special & School Grants
Closed April 1, 2026
(Special & School grants are by invite only)

Proactive Grant (2026 Theme: Food Security)
Closed June 1, 2026

Fall Programmatic Grant
Closed September 30, 2026 at Noon

Grant Eligibility

The WEHF considers the following municipalities to be included in Marquette County’s West End. The cities of Ishpeming and Negaunee and the following townships; Champion, Ely, Humboldt, Ishpeming, Michigamme, Negaunee, Republic, Richmond and Tilden.

Competitive grant funding for programs and services targeted to residents of the West End are preferred. In some cases, funding for programs and services for Marquette County and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula may be considered.

Areas of concern are: 1) chronic disease education, 2) health, 3) wellness, 4) mental health, 5) nutrition, 6) physical fitness, and 7) social and emotional support.

Programs addressing education for: 1) Diabetes, 2) Asthma, 3) Arthritis, 4) Cancer, 5) Heart Disease, 6) Prenatal Health, 7) Dementia, 8) Obesity, 9) Suicide Prevention, and other health-related issues qualify for WEHF grant funding.

Grants are only awarded to organizations with an IRS 501(C)(3) or other non-profit designation, governmental units, and school districts.

Generally, an organization may only receive grant funds once in a calendar year. In special instances, multi-year programs might be awarded grants. The range of WEHF Competitive Grants is from $1,000 to $10,000, with a total of $50,000 gifted.

Prior grant reports must be submitted in order to be considered for future funding.

Competitive grant cycles are set by the WEHF Board of Directors based on available funding. Generally, the WEHF accepts grant applications for the Spring Capital Grant Cycle on or before April 1. The Fall Competitive Cycle applications are due on or before October 1.

Which Grant should I apply for?

Programmatic Grant Cycle supports activities, services, or initiatives that directly deliver programming to the community — such as workshops, outreach efforts, events, or staffing and operational expenses tied to a specific program.

Capital Grant Cycle provides funding for non-programmatic initiatives that support the purchase of physical items or improvements, including equipment, technology, durable goods, and facility upgrades.

Proactive Grant Cycles focus on a specific health-related theme to support targeted, high-impact initiatives within the West End community. This theme changes each year.

School & Special Grant Cycles are by invite only. These projects have been special endeavors supported by the Board of Directors, and may occur outside the regular course of the foundation’s annual grant funding cycles.

If your request involves buying or improving something tangible (e.g., equipment or construction), it should be submitted under the Capital Grant. If it funds program activities or services (e.g., staffing, curriculum, events), please apply under the Programmatic Grant. If you are still unsure which grant you should apply for, contact us at [email protected] before applying and we’ll assist you.

All grants that are awarded require grantees to submit reporting. A reporting schedule will be issued upon accepting a grant.

Sponsorships

Sponsorships are different than grants. Sponsorships give the West End Health Foundation the ability to partner with organizations and agencies that are working to improve the community we serve – the West End of Marquette County.

Programs, services, or events should take place in the West End or serve West End residents. In some cases, sponsorships are given to support programs, services, or events that are not held in the West End but benefit Marquette County.

Organizations requesting a sponsorship should be a governmental entity or a non-profit organization certified by the IRS.

The West End Health Foundation provides sponsorships of $1,000 or less for
• Organizations that address health and wellness
• Organizations that improve the lives of children and teens
• Organizations that improve the lives of adults and seniors
• Organizations that improve the health of the community

All decisions related to sponsorships are made by the WEHF Board of Directors. Board meetings are held every other month, except in July and August. For this reason, we ask that all sponsorship requests be submitted by email to [email protected] at least 90 days prior to the program or event, so the Board will have adequate time to act on the sponsorship request. Submitting a sponsorship application does not guarantee a sponsorship as funding is limited.

Sponsorship requests and questions regarding sponsorships and eligibility can be addressed to WEHF Manager at [email protected] or by telephone at (906) 226-6591 ext. 107.

FAQ & Important Info For Grant Applicants

“I have been awarded a grant and need to accept an agreement or submit reports.”

All applicants awarded grants will need to submit reporting. Grants over $5,000 will require a six-month progress report and a final report at the close of the grant cycle. Your reporting schedule will be attached to your grant agreement.

You can always view your reporting schedule for awarded grants at any time by logging into your grant portal and navigating to “your awards”. Your report schedule is under “view award”. For further assistance, we have an online ‘how-to-guide’ here.

Please take note your reporting schedule. Reports are due on the deadline. Failure to submit reports by the deadline may cause your organization to be ineligible for future grants you apply to.

“My primary grant contact has changed, or, I no longer have access to my profile.“

Your organization must notify WEHF of any contact changes in your grant profile or application. If your primary grant contact leaves, please promptly designate a new contact and email their information to WEHF at [email protected]. Include:

your organization’s name
the new contact’s name
contact’s new email address

Once you have access, you may have to navigate to your applications to inform WEHF of a new contact for that grant as well. Not providing WEHF with updated contact information may result in missed communication or deadlines.

Please note that updating or adding contacts within your ‘organizational profile’ does not update the point of contact for a specific grant application or cycle that you have applied for. Direct notification to the WEHF is required to ensure accurate communication. Reporting requirements and deadlines still apply if your staff changes.

“I requested access to an existing Organizational Profile“

You may need approval to access an existing Organization’s profile. The WEHF does not get notified when you request to join an existing Organization’s account. The Organization’s account owner will be notified you are requesting access. If you do not hear back after 72 hours from the Organization you requested access to, please email [email protected] with your name, email, and organization and we can look into your request manually.

“I need to add collaborators to my application”

When applying as an organization, you can invite other team members to collaborate on your application. This feature allows multiple people to work together on an application and share post-award responsibilities. Each collaborator is assigned a role that controls what they can view, edit, or submit.

Only Lead Applicants can manage collaborators.
There must always be at least one Lead Applicant on the application. (Note: There can be more than one Lead Applicant on an application, too).
Collaborators only see applications they’ve been invited to. They cannot view other applications in your organization or access the organization profile.

Please visit “Collaborating on an Application” if you need further assistance.

“I Can’t Log-in To My Account”

Please visit ‘Troubleshooting Login Issues’ if you are having troubles accessing your account.

Past Grants – for reporting (2023-2024)

Click the links below to access your grant portal and submit your reports. If you run into issues please email [email protected].