Applicants are invited to apply for the 2026 Steelcase Foundation Grant Program.
Donor Name: Steelcase Foundation
State: Michigan
County: Kent County (MI)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/08/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
At the Steelcase Foundation, they envision Kent County, Michigan as a place where everyone’s inherent brilliance can shine and all people can participate, grow, and flourish. Over the next two years, they are doubling down on the commitment to public education, the role family well-being plays in students’ flourishing, and change across systems that impacts students’ lives. These priorities aren’t a shift from the existing mission and vision. They reflect where they believe the resources can make the greatest difference, based on what they have learned from partners about what’s needed and what’s already working.
Recent federal actions and state budget cuts have created burdens of uncertainty and disruption for students, families, public educators, and community partners. While some of these efforts have faced legal challenges, they still threaten to create a devastating regression in students’ rights, their academic opportunities, and family well-being. They seek to encourage and support the partners in navigating the current challenges with resolve, conviction, and purposeful action. Now more than ever, they believe that defending and working toward a bold vision for public education and thriving families requires us to be intentional, including:
The mission of the Steelcase Foundation is to acknowledge the inherent brilliance of communities and to ensure that all people can participate, grow, and flourish.
Principles
These values shape how they show up as partners, funders, and community members.
- Partnership
- Integrity
- Humility
- Community Representation
- Innovation
- Learning
- People.
Focus Areas
- Defending + Strengthening Public Education – Public education is a cornerstone of equity and opportunity. They invest in protecting its integrity and ensuring all learners have access to a high-quality, radically-inclusive, and liberatory education system.
- School Communities
- Educator professional development related to creating inclusive, student-centered learning environments
- Educator pipeline efforts addressing recruitment and retention, especially of diverse educators
- School cultures of belonging and psychological safety
- Youth + Family Voice
- Youth collaboration and leadership in schools
- Arts and cultural experiences that prioritize youth leadership and belonging
- Family/caregiver collaboration and leadership in schools
- Systems + Transitions
- Positive transitions through PK-12, especially into kindergarten, to middle school, to high school, and to postsecondary
- Research exploring disparate outcomes in education
- School Communities
- Whole-Child Learning, Whole-Family Supports – Students flourish when their families are flourishing. They invest in holistic, culturally responsive approaches that meet students and families where they are, help them get to where they aspire to be, and make learning and belonging possible.
- Stability + Support Beyond the Classroom
- Targeted approaches to supporting students’ and their caregivers’ well-being
- Stabilization efforts for immigrant and refugee students and their families
- Navigation support for students and their families accessing public benefits and other essential services (especially with changes to Medicaid eligibility)
- Relationships + Learning
- Out-of-school time (OST) programs centering social emotional development, belonging, and/or academic enrichment
- Early relational health efforts between children and caregivers
- Research investigating the impacts of felt difference related to youth and family well-being
- Stability + Support Beyond the Classroom
- Postsecondary Access + Success – Education doesn’t end at high school. They support the critical transition to postsecondary education and early career pathways that help students access, persist through, and succeed in those opportunities, especially those who are first-generation or historically underserved.
- Postsecondary access and readiness
- Postsecondary persistence and retention.
Funding Information
Grants range from $30,000 – $250,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- 501(c)(3) nonprofits or governmental entities
- Organizations serving Kent County, Michigan
- Program aligned with the focus areas
- Existing and pilot programs, special projects/initiatives, and general operations
- Organizations that have demonstrated experience related to the work being proposed
- Efforts that center the wisdom, leadership, and lived experience of the communities they serve.
For more information, visit Steelcase Foundation.
