Pilot program responds to worsening burnout among nonprofit executives with $50,000 sabbaticals for six Kent County leaders

A coalition of five West Michigan foundations today announced the inaugural cohort of the Kent County Nonprofit Leader Sabbatical Program, an investment designed to give nonprofit executive directors dedicated time away to rest, recharge, and reconnect with the purpose that drew them to their work.

As nonprofit leaders grapple with the realities of burnout and local foundations seek meaningful ways to invest in the well-being of community leaders, they came together to create a new avenue of support. The program is funded by Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Jandernoa Foundation, Steelcase Foundation, Wege Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Nonprofit leaders have historically had few, if any, structured options for extended rest. A 2026 report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that nearly half of nonprofit CEOs say their own burnout is a serious concern, a sharp rise from roughly three in ten just a year earlier, with growing numbers of leaders describing overwhelming stress driven by rising community need and an increasingly unpredictable funding environment. Left unaddressed, this burnout contributes to higher turnover, organizational instability, and loss of institutional knowledge —outcomes that ultimately weaken community impact.

“Nonprofits are stepping up every day to meet growing, complex needs in our communities, but the sector can’t keep operating on rising burnout and workforce instability while being asked to do more with less. This isn’t sustainable, and it isn’t acceptable,” said Dr. Daniel Williams, president and CEO of the Steelcase Foundation. “If we want stronger communities, we have to invest not just in programs, but in the people and organizations doing the work because sustainable impact depends on them being healthy and well-supported.”

The pilot year’s cohort includes six Kent County nonprofit executive directors:

• Bernard Ayoola — African Resource Center of West Michigan
• • Bernard Ayoola is the Executive Director of the African Resource Center of West Michigan, where he leads community‑based initiatives that strengthen and support immigrant and refugee families. He has served in this capacity since the organization’s founding in 2014. In addition to his full‑time responsibilities at the African Center, Bernard teaches theology as an adjunct professor at Christian universities and seminaries. He and his wife, Adejoke, have been joyfully married for over thirty years and are the parents of four adult children.
  • “After twelve years of serving in my leadership role, this sabbatical is giving me a needed opportunity to rest and return renewed to continue serving our community. Thank you,” said Ayoola.
• Lauren Gamelin VanKeulen — AYA Youth Collective
  • Lauren Gamelin VanKeulen has spent 15 years leading organizations and driving strategic growth in the nonprofit sector. As CEO and Co-Founder of AYA Youth Collective, she has grown the organization from a startup to a $6 million operation serving over 1,000 young people annually, navigating a merger and building a full housing continuum from drop-in through permanent supportive housing.  She has served on the CoC Steering Council since 2017, including terms as chair and co-chair, and is an active participant in the Downtown Pathways Project. She stays at the table because ending homelessness in Kent County requires more than any single organization can do alone, and because she believes that solutions should be formed by the very people experiencing the issues. Under her leadership, AYA is committed to using evidence-based methodology to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, youth and unsheltered homelessness. She holds an MSW from the University of Southern California and is a governor-appointee to the Michigan Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Michigan Board of Social Work.
  • “I’m humbled and deeply grateful to be selected for the Kent County Nonprofit Leader Sabbatical Program, a rare and generous investment in nonprofit leadership. I can’t wait to see the tangible results: a stronger AYA leadership team and a stronger nonprofit as a whole. I believe this innovative program could change how our community’s nonprofits operate for years to come and I could not be more grateful for this opportunity,” said VanKeulen.
• Alma-Jean (AJ) Fossel — Community Food Club
  • AJ Fossel has spent her career working in the charitable food sector. She is the Executive Director of the Community Food Club, a nonprofit grocery store in Grand Rapids that serves over 7,500 people each month. She is dedicated to providing innovative, dignified solutions to food access issues rooted in relationships. Her leadership revolves around authentic cultivation of community partnerships and believes the best work happens when everyone has a place at the table.  When not at the Community Food Club, you’ll find AJ with her husband, three young children, and their beloved husky Sheila walking in their neighborhood or exploring all the great parks Kent County has to offer.
  • “This sabbatical is a deeply meaningful opportunity to rest, reflect, and renew while giving the Community Food Club’s leadership team the  opportunity of leading in my absence. I’m grateful for the time to envision the future of the Food Club and contribute thoughtfully to a stronger, more equitable charitable food system,” said Fossel.
• Steff Rosalez — Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities
  • Steff Rosalez currently serves as the CEO at Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities, leading community arts and humanities initiatives on Grand Rapids’ southwest side.  She is actively involved in conversations about art, race, culture, and community, and does her work through a social justice lens. She is passionate about building relationships with youth and families, using the arts and humanities to drive social change. She dreams of liberated futures and sets out each day to smash white supremacy and other systems of oppression.  Steff received her BFA in Studio Art and Communications from Hope College in 2005 and moved to Grand Rapids shortly after in 2007. Since then, she has been an active leader in the community, serving on several boards and committees, including serving as a Co-Chair for the Arts and Culture Collective of Grand Rapids. Alongside her community work, she contributes to the city’s creative landscape through her own art and music projects. She curates art exhibitions and community events and co-owns Synthusiast, a local business that shares its enthusiasm for synthesizers through synth repair, community workshops, and the synthpop performance duo, How To Live Together.
  • “After so many years of pouring into my community, it means everything that others are now pouring back into me. I know this time for rest and creativity will reignite my radical imagination, and I hope it does the same for the rest of the cohort. Leaders need space to rest, dream, and imagine liberated futures if we want to see them realized. Investing in leaders sustains the work itself,” said Rosalez.
• JD Chapman Jr. — Realism is Loyalty
  • JD Chapman Jr. is a lifelong resident of Grand Rapids’ 3rd Ward and the Executive Director of Realism Is Loyalty. Once a juvenile offender and returning citizen, JD transformed his life after serving 10 years in prison, using that time to reflect, grow, and embrace personal accountability. Since his release in 2007, he’s dedicated himself to mentoring youth and building a stronger community. In 2014, JD founded Realism Is Loyalty, turning a vision, he began developing in prison into a thriving nonprofit. He continues to live and lead in the community he calls home, alongside his wife Antoinette and their four children.
  • “This sabbatical opportunity will provide rest, relaxation, and the opportunity to self-reflect around wins, losses, needs, and my next in community,” said Chapman.
• Carla Moore — United Methodist Community House
  • Carla Moore, LLMSW, is a longtime Grand Rapids nonprofit professional and Chief Executive Officer of United Methodist Community House (UMCH), where she has served in progressively responsible leadership roles since 2010. With more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector, Carla has built her career around strengthening organizations, developing leaders, and creating sustainable solutions to community needs. At UMCH, she helped transform a financially fragile organization into a growing intergenerational community anchor and led the vision and strategy for its $23 million campus expansion. After years of navigating complex financing, public and philanthropic partnerships, and organizational growth, Carla successfully secured the resources needed to bring the final phase of that vision to completion. Her leadership is grounded in the belief that lasting impact requires more than strong programs—it requires sustainable organizations, courageous leadership, and intentional investment in the people who will carry the mission forward.
  • “This sabbatical feels like permission to finally exhale after years of leading through tremendous growth and change. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to rest, reconnect with myself, and return renewed for the next chapter of my life and leadership,” said Moore.

Each sabbatical includes $50,000 in funding to support both the individual executive and the organization during this 3-4 month leave. This support allows leaders to step away and care for themselves while providing organizations with the financial resources necessary to strengthen organizational succession plans, assist the development of staff leadership and compensate staff who will have increased responsibilities.

“We are excited for these leaders who wear so many hats in our community to have the opportunity to take some time to replenish and restore themselves, personally and professionally. Our community will be better for it,” said LaSandra Gaddy, president and CEO of Grand Rapids Community Foundation. “It was important for us to provide autonomy for them to curate a sabbatical experience that was unique to their needs, while also providing resources to fill any operational gaps for their organizations.”

Each selected leader has served as an executive director for at least three consecutive years and applied through a competitive process reviewed by a committee of funder representatives and community members. Following orientation, participants will have up to 12 months to begin their sabbatical, which may include travel, research, retreats, or other restorative activities of their own design.

“The individuals leading our nonprofit organizations give so much of themselves in service to others. We’re proud to support a program that not only invests in their wellbeing but also creates opportunities for emerging leaders within their organizations to build their own leadership capacity,” said Steve Jandernoa, president of the Jandernoa Foundation.

Future cohorts of the program are expected to open to direct applications, without requiring a funder nomination, as the partners explore how to sustain and grow the initiative.