LAFCU Launches StableCommunities Foundation to Support Community Stability in Greater Lansing
LAFCU announced the launch of the StableCommunities Foundation, a nonprofit organization established to support neighborhood stability, family well-being and small business development across the Greater Lansing region.
In its first full year of operation in 2025, the foundation awarded $267,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations and entrepreneurs. The funding reflects an early focus on addressing community needs through financial support and targeted programs.
According to LAFCU, the foundation will focus on initiatives related to food security, access to fair emergency loans, financial education and microgrants for small businesses. Its work is intended to address barriers to opportunity and promote long-term economic resiliency throughout the region.
The foundation’s mission also includes supporting communities that have historically experienced limited access to resources, including neighborhoods affected by redlining and persistent economic disparities.
“This is about more than programs or grants, it’s about people helping people,” said Patrick Spyke, LAFCU CEO. “We’ve seen the challenges families and small businesses face every day. The StableCommunities Foundation is a promise to stand with them, to invest directly in their potential, and to help turn struggle into strength.”
The StableCommunities Foundation is led by Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, who serves as its CEO in addition to her roles as LAFCU’s chief marketing officer and chief diversity officer.
“I want the StableCommunities Foundation to plant hope where it has been lost,” Ellsworth Etchison said. “Without hope, people can feel stuck. We want to help them find their way forward, and to build a movement where resiliency thrives, where small businesses can grow roots, and where families know they don’t have to face struggles alone.”
Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with flexibility built into the process to allow the foundation to respond to urgent needs while also supporting long-term community stability. Additional information is available through the StableCommunities Foundation’s Facebook page.
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