Cascade Community Foundation

What Cascade Community Foundation does

Cascade Community Foundation (CCF) is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 2000 and headquartered at 6757 Cascade Road SE #105 in Grand Rapids, serving the Ada, Cascade, and Forest Hills micro-market. The foundation operates three core programs: (1) a Grants Program that distributes awards ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 to local nonprofits across disability services, youth programs, education, healthcare, animal welfare, mental health, and community support; (2) annual Gala events, including the 25th Anniversary 'Beauty of Community' celebration at Watermark Country Club; and (3) the Enterprise Workshop Series, co-delivered with Cascade Township DDA, which uses a peer-led, kinesthetic cohort model to build capacity among local businesses and nonprofits. CCF also manages the Joyce & Thomas Wisner Fund as a vehicle for donor-directed giving.

The foundation's operating stack centers on the CCF.Events website, which functions as a unified event management and account platform supporting registration, gala ticketing, grant information, workshop enrollment, and donation intake; digital donations are processed through a Bloomerang-hosted giving portal with Kindful campaign pages. Underlying technology is described as a standard website platform with event management, donation processing, and email communication capabilities — there is no proprietary technology, app, or API surface. Community engagement is augmented by an email newsletter, organic social media, and an in-person event/sponsorship ecosystem (RedWater Events, Alles Law, Lake Michigan Insurance Agency, Alpine Events, Watermark Country Club, and individual donors).

CCF's revenue model is donation-based, comprising individual and organizational philanthropic contributions (directed partly to the Joyce & Thomas Wisner Fund), event ticket sales, and corporate event sponsorships. The foundation does not sell products or services and has no disclosed pricing structure. Customer segments are local small businesses and nonprofits (primary), supported by donors and corporate sponsors (secondary). No revenue, budget, or endowment figures are disclosed in the source material.

Name

Cascade Community Foundation

Legal name

Cascade Community Foundation

Website

https://cascadecommunityfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cascade Community Foundation is a Grand Rapids, Michigan nonprofit community foundation that administers local grants, runs annual galas, and co-delivers the Enterprise Workshop Series for SMBs and nonprofits in the Ada, Cascade, and Forest Hills area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Philanthropic giving
• Grant administration
• Nonprofit support
• Community event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: The foundation receives charitable donations from individuals and organizations to support local community programming, small businesses, and nonprofits. Donations help grow the Joyce & Thomas Wisner Fund through grants.
2. Event Sponsorships and Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from event attendance fees, sponsorships, and fundraising activities during galas and community celebrations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cascade Community Foundation is a nonprofit community foundation that administers philanthropic donations, distributes grants to local nonprofits, and runs community programming including annual gala events and the Enterprise Workshop Series. It facilitates donation processing through the Joyce & Thomas Wisner Fund, supports 18+ local nonprofits in the Ada, Cascade, and Forest Hills area of Michigan, and delivers hands-on training workshops for local businesses and nonprofits in partnership with Cascade Township DDA.

Product overview

Cascade Community Foundation operates CCF Events as its primary event management platform, offering a unified system for community engagement. The core product is supplemented by specific programs: the Gala Events program for annual celebrations (including the 25th Anniversary), the Grants Program for distributing funds to local nonprofits, and the Enterprise Workshop Series providing hands-on training for businesses and nonprofits. A donation feature enables supporters to contribute to the foundation's mission. The platform is a single unified offering without modular add-ons or separate product tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CCF Events Platform Event management platform enabling users to register for events, manage accounts, and access gala, grants, and enterprise programming for the Cascade Community Foundation community.
• Gala Events Annual celebration events including the 25th Anniversary 'Beauty of Community' Celebration featuring expo-style gatherings, strolling dinners, and grant award voting with $10k and $15k grants awarded that night.
• Grants Program Grant distribution initiative supporting local nonprofits with awards ranging from $1,000 to $15,000, including past funding for organizations such as The Be Cafe ($5,000), CSNIP ($2,500), and Wedgwood Christian Services ($2,500).
• Enterprise Workshop Series Training workshops for local businesses and nonprofits using kinesthetic hands-on learning approaches, covering topics such as customer growth strategies and AI adoption, delivered over lunch as peer-led cohort sessions in Ada, Cascade, and Forest Hills.
• Online Donation Program Online donation functionality supporting Cascade Community Foundation's programming for small businesses and nonprofits, with contributions directed to the Joyce & Thomas Wisner Fund and processed through the Bloomerang platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 bike safety flags distributed through Riding For Ryan
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cascade Township DDAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCascade Township DDA has partnered with Cascade Community Foundation to offer the Enterprise Workshop Series. This collaboration is designed to help local businesses and nonprofits develop capabilities through hands-on training workshops. The partnership combines Township resources with CCF's community foundation expertise.
• RedWater EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent services company serving as a sponsor for CCF community events and gala celebrations.
• Alles LawminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLegal services firm sponsoring CCF community events and gala celebrations.
• Lake Michigan Insurance AgencyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance agency sponsoring CCF community events and gala celebrations.
• Alpine EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent services company sponsoring CCF community events and gala celebrations.
• Watermark Country ClubminorOthersVenue host for CCF's 25th Anniversary Celebration event on November 11.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Peers

• Battle Creek Community Foundation: Southwestern Michigan community foundation with parallel grant cycles, donor-advised funds, and community event programming. Comparable function in a different regional market within Michigan.

Regional players

• Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation: Southeast Michigan community foundation with a broader programmatic footprint including capacity-building workshops and community events. Comparable function and operating model at a different scale tier.
• Fremont Area Community Foundation: West Michigan community foundation serving Newaygo County and surrounding area with similar local grantmaking and capacity-building programming. Comparable scale and operating model.
• Kalamazoo Community Foundation: West Michigan community foundation with a comparable grantmaking-plus-workshop programmatic model, serving Kalamazoo County. Highly comparable function and scale tier though in a different Michigan sub-market.
• Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area: Community foundation serving the Holland/Zeeland region of West Michigan with similar donor cultivation, grant administration, and local nonprofit support activities. Comparable scale and operating model.
• Barry County Community Foundation: Small-scale Michigan community foundation with similar rural-community grantmaking and donor-advised fund services. Closest direct comparison in scale tier to CCF.
• Community Foundation of Greater Flint: Michigan community foundation with grant cycles, donor services, and community programming serving the Flint area. Same operating category, different Michigan region.
• Muskegon Community Foundation: West Michigan community foundation administering donor funds, making local grants, and convening community programming. Direct parallel in function and scale tier to CCF.

Direct peers

• Grand Rapids Community Foundation: The dominant community foundation in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, operating in the same geographic market as CCF with a much larger asset base and grantmaking capacity. Direct overlap in serving the same donor pool and nonprofit ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Council on Foundations: National membership association for community foundations and grantmaking institutions. While not a direct operational peer, it is the primary industry body shaping standards, training, and policy for organizations like CCF.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/giveCCF
• Facebookfacebook.com/cascadecommunityfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10297592

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cascade Community Foundation