inland seas education association [MI]
2020 giving while living micro grant: $500

The Foundation’s unexpected $500 Micro Grant helped Inland Seas Education Association fund critical repairs to the schooner Inland Seas so it could be ready to serve thousands of curious young people on the Great Lakes, once restrictions from COVID-19 lightened.

In early 2020 Great Lakes-area schools shifted to online learning due to COVID-19, and it became impossible for ISEA to conduct the 100+ school field trips that they would host in a typical spring. Thanks in part to the Foundation’s Micro Grant, ISEA instead took a proactive approach to the situation and repaired the hull of the ship, which had deteriorated over 25 years of providing inspiring STEM experiences on the Great Lakes.

By August 2020, Inland Seas was already back in the water and ready to set sail, picking right up where it left off: inspiring Great Lakes curiosity, stewardship and passion through unforgettable educational experiences. Without early funding and the “gift” of time, the process would have been more costly and inefficient—having had to take place in the winter. The Foundation’s surprise grant (Giving While Living Grant recipients do not know about grants in advance) contributed to ISEA being able to help thousands of young people discover the science of the Great Lakes for years to come, inspiring them to care for this most magnificent natural resource.

Thank you to Susan Ferris, who works for Woodard & Curran, Inc. from her office in Ohio, who selected ISEA for a Foundation Giving While Living Micro Grant.