ART & CULTURE FINALIST:

Bay Community Theatre

INITIATIVE: Staying Alive! At The Bay.

For more than 75 years, The Bay Community Theatre in Suttons Bay has been a gathering place where audiences connect and culture thrives. Serving the community as the only movie venue on the Leelanau Peninsula, the Bay is advancing a bold transformational initiative: to equip for full, live event capabilities in order to expand its reach to new audiences. This will deepen its impact and ensure this treasured venue’s long-term sustainability.

Like many theaters, The Bay faces challenges. But recent forays into live programming show that music concerts, comedy shows, and even lectures can fill seats, strengthen downtown vitality, and even bring joy.

This initiative will provide professional lighting, sound, and streaming tools to enable The Bay to host more frequent, higher quality events. The aim is to expand live programming by 50% annually, offering diverse cultural experiences, while also being mindful of audiences unable to access the theatre. Live events at The Bay are more than entertainment – they foster shared experiences, build bonds, and amplify new voices.

Sustainability is at the heart of this initiative. Durable equipment designed to last 15 years will reduce waste, avoid costly rentals, and ensure consistent quality. Ongoing operations will be sustained through memberships, earned revenue, and community support.

With an Impact100 Traverse City grant, this initiative will secure The Bay’s role as a cultural anchor. Together, we can preserve all offerings of this Suttons Bay treasure as it continues to pursue its goal of becoming a true hub of creativity, connection, and long-term community building. Read more

EDUCATION FINALIST:

Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities

INITIATIVE: Connecting Farms, Food & Heath in a Teaching Kitchen

Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is advancing Phase II of the Esperance Community Teaching Kitchen with a transformative initiative: expanding access to food-as-medicine education across Northwest Lower Michigan. With support from Impact100 Traverse City, the Esperance Community Teaching Kitchen will livestream, record, and distribute high-quality culinary medicine and nutrition training to underserved communities in the five-county region.

The initiative will establish the Esperance Community Teaching Kitchen as a regional broadcast hub and technical assistance center. It will deliver live and recorded classes, create an on-demand resource library, and provide continuing medical education for healthcare professionals. Partnerships with media outlets will further broaden access, reaching schools, food pantries, and households across the region.

This initiative represents transformational change by scaling a proven model. Programs like “Dinner with Your Doctor” have already shown improved health behaviors and empowered patients to better manage chronic conditions. By embedding food-as-medicine into both healthcare and community settings, the Esperance Community Teaching Kitchen strengthens vital connections between providers, patients, and families.  Long-term partnerships with healthcare systems like Munson Healthcare and a diversified revenue model—including healthcare contributions, class fees, sponsorships, rentals, and consulting—ensure growth beyond the grant period.

With an Impact100 Traverse City grant, this initiative will directly serve at least 500 individuals by 2027 while reaching thousands more digitally. Together, we can transform rural health, proving that food is not just nourishment—it is medicine. Read more

ENVIRONMENT, RECREATION & PRESERVATION FINALIST: 

Paddle Antrim

INITIATIVE: Igniting Community, Nature & Play in Central Lake

Paddle Antrim, in partnership with the Village of Central Lake, is leading a transformative initiative to expand accessibility, connectivity, and stewardship at Thurston Park along Michigan’s Chain of Lakes Water Trail.  With support from Impact100 Traverse City, this initiative will create inclusive recreation opportunities, strengthen community connections, and safeguard natural assets for the future.

The centerpiece is a universally accessible kayak and canoe launch, enabling safe, independent water access for individuals of all abilities. Additional features—paddlecraft storage and invasive species removal tools—will enhance safety and environmental stewardship while easing congestion at the motorized launch and swimming beach. Broader park improvements include extending sidewalks to connect downtown Central Lake with both sides of the waterfront, building continuous accessible pathways, upgrading restrooms to ADA standards, adding inclusive picnic seating and benches, and designating accessible parking. Together, these enhancements will make Thurston Park a welcoming, fully inclusive community space.

Sustainability is embedded in our initiative.  Durable infrastructure, native landscaping, and educational signage will encourage long-term stewardship, while maintenance will be supported by the Village of Central Lake and Paddle Antrim’s sustainable model of donations, sponsorships, and grants.

With an Impact100 Traverse City grant, Thurston Park will be transformed into a hub of inclusive recreation and community gathering. Together, we can open the water to everyone—ensuring access, connection, and joy for generations to come. Read more

FAMILY FINALIST: 

Women’s Resource Center

INITIATIVE: Safe Housing for Survivors of Domestic Violence

The Women’s Resource Center mission is to protect, shelter and empower people impacted by domestic and sexual violence. Since 1999, we have operated our transitional house, offering stability for survivors rebuilding their lives. With support from Impact100 Traverse City, we will advance a transformational initiative: creating a survivor-centered studio apartment within the Women’s Resource Center’s transitional home.  Residing in an apartment where the environmental stressors of communal living have been removed gives survivors the foundation to build emotional and financial security free from the fears of homelessness or returning to a violent home.

This initiative is designed to meet survivors’ immediate housing needs while supporting long-term healing and independence. Residents have access to the Women’s Resource Center services including one-on-one advocacy and emotional support, court advocacy, safety planning and access to community resources that reduce barriers to recovery and foster resilience.

The Women’s Resource Center owns its transitional housing outright, ensuring stability for decades to come. Operating costs for the new unit—utilities, maintenance, and services—will be absorbed into the existing housing budget. Sustainability is a cornerstone: more than 51% of Women’s Resource Center’s annual revenue comes from nonprofit thrift stores, creating rare independence from government or grant funding. In addition, over $650,000 is raised annually through community giving, providing resilient, flexible support.

With an Impact100 Traverse City grant, the Women’s Resource Center will expand housing capacity, strengthen pathways to independence, and ensure survivors can build safe, thriving futures. Together, we can break cycles of violence and create lasting transformation for survivors and their families. Read more

Health & Wellness FINALIST:

Goodwill Northern Michigan Food Rescue

INITIATIVE:

Healthy Produce Cooler: 100% Access

Goodwill Northern Michigan’s Food Rescue program is transforming food access across the region. Since 2008, the program has recovered and redistributed 2.2 million pounds of food annually—enough for 6,500 meals each day—to 78 pantries, meal sites, and baby pantries across five counties. In 2014, only 13% of partners could reliably offer fresh produce. Today, 80% can. With Impact100 Traverse City’s support, we can achieve 100% by 2027.

The barrier is cold storage. Throughout the year, and in particular during harvest season, thousands of pounds of produce are lost due to limited capacity, restricting access for the 20% of pantries that cannot consistently provide fresh food. A new walk-in cooler at our Traverse City warehouse will more than double storage, extend shelf life, reduce waste, and ensure healthy food reaches families.

The initiative also strengthens our Healthy Harvest program, which rescues surplus produce from area farms. In 2024, 320,000 pounds were distributed, but over 100,000 pounds were left uncollected due to storage constraints.   This lack of capacity continues to affect Food Rescue in 2025.  Tomorrow, Food Rescue will pick up 2,400 pounds of peaches in Hart, Michigan, but they will have to pass up the opportunity to pick up another 7,200 pounds given the lack of cold storage. Expanded capacity will capture more of this food, feeding families instead of going to waste.

The initiative is shovel-ready and sustainable. With minimal operating costs, no new staffing needs, and Goodwill’s overhead covered through stores and ecommerce, 100% of an Impact100 Traverse City grant will fund infrastructure that delivers lasting impact. Together, we can ensure every pantry opens its doors with fresh, healthy food—nourishing families and strengthening communities. Read more