Local nonprofits can now apply for the 2023 #TeamUp for the Great Lakes Bay Region grant program, tournament officials with the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational announced today. Nonprofit organizations can apply online at www.dowglbi.com/community-impact through May 5. The LPGA tournament remains committed to donating to charities across the Great Lakes Bay Region and has awarded more than $1.5 million to local nonprofits since its inception in 2019.
“Team Up for the Great Lakes Bay Region is at the core of our event’s mission to enrich the region through charitable giveback,” said Heather Gallegos, Director of Communications and Community Affairs at Dow. “We are proud of the support we have been able to provide to these organizations in our community and the larger overall impact these groups and this tournament are able to deliver throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region. We look forward to continuing to further that impact through this year’s program.”
Each year, #TeamUp for the Great Lakes Bay Region selects seven organizations across each of the region’s counties (Saginaw, Bay, Midland and Isabella). An additional eight nonprofits are also selected based on the services they provide on a regional level. Since 2019, the tournament’s charitable giving programs have supported more than 60 nonprofits across the Great Lakes Bay Region, such as For A Brighter Tomorrow of Midland County. The nonprofit was awarded a bonus donation of $11,000 after last year’s event for being paired with the 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational Champions, Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas.
“We were very excited to team up with a powerhouse LPGA team such as Lizette Salas and Jennifer Kupcho at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational,” shared John Billinghire, board member of For A Brighter Tomorrow. “Our organization was on the course volunteering and cheering on our LPGA teams. This program has injected monies directly into our community in a concerted effort to help at-risk citizens. Together, with this funding, we have saved lives!”
All 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the Great Lakes Bay Region are invited to apply. Nonprofits will be chosen based on their organization’s impact to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; sustainability; diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I); community resiliency; and/or innovation. Once selected, each of the 36 nonprofits will be paired randomly with two of the 72 teams competing in the 2023 LPGA event. A total of $237,500 will be donated through this program with each selected nonprofit guaranteed to receive at least a $4,500 grant. Additional grant opportunities will be announced at a later date.
Selections are expected to be announced at the beginning of May. Tournament staff will continue to #TeamUp with the Midland Area Community Foundation, Bay Area Community Foundation, Saginaw Community Foundation and the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation and the Dow Great Lakes Bay Region Grant Team to manage the program.
The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational will return to Midland Country Club July 17 – 22, 2023. Visit www.DowGLBI.com for more information about this year’s event.
