Collaboration Provides New Festival Fund Opportunity
Muskegon, Michigan – The new Muskegon Festival Fund, housed at the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, was created through a collaboration of five summertime Muskegon festivals located in downtown Muskegon including Unity Festival, Lakeshore Art Festival, Rebel Road, Rockstock, and Taste of Muskegon. These five festivals have united to raise funds in order to help support their events through the hardships created by COVID-19.
Todd Jacob, President of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County commented, “We are happy to accept gifts for our community festivals. It is important to the health and quality of life of Muskegonites to have events to enjoy and that help build community.” The new Muskegon Festival Fund will be open for two years to assist the five festivals in 2021 and 2022. Anyone can donate to the fund over the two-year period and dollars will be split evenly amongst each festival.
Festivals have played a major role in the revitalization and economic success of Muskegon, bringing thousands of visitors into the area each year and generating millions of dollars in spending. In addition, each festival supports a wide variety of non-profit organizations, which directly benefit from these family-friendly events. The Muskegon Festival Fund will help our festivals recover more readily from the effects of COVID-19 and ultimately play a role in a more expedient recovery for Muskegon area tourism and hospitality.
“For many years, festivals have been a vital part of our downtown’s vibrancy and our city’s identity. At a time when we did not have enough brick-and-mortar restaurants and other attractions to support our downtown, the festivals kept our downtown alive, vibrant, and relevant. Now, the festivals continue to play a key role in the revitalization of our downtown, helping to support our restaurants and our bars, and helping to draw visitors to Muskegon’s many unique cultural amenities. We are lucky to have had these successful festivals for decades, and we hope to continue to have them for many more.” Frank Peterson, City Manager for the City of Muskegon.
“This goes beyond tourism promotion. We need to keep supporting these festivals like we are supporting our restaurants and small retailers,” says Cindy Larsen, President of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber. “Everyone can help make a difference during this challenging time.”
While the funds will be split evenly among the five festivals, a small percentage of the total fund will be allocated for other downtown Muskegon events. An application process will be created, and financial awards will be granted to additional festivals at least once over the two-year period.
Donors may give to the Muskegon Festival Fund through this link. Give Now | Community Foundation Muskegon County (muskegonfoundation.org). For more information, email summerfestivalfund@gmail.com