At the Rental Property Owners Association of Kent County (RPOA), we strongly believe that real estate investor's success begins with the success of the community.  Therefore, we believe that it is important to develop and strengthen the communities in which our members do business. To assist us with that mission, we founded the Rental Property Owners Association Charitable Fund.

The RPOA Charitable Fund is a non-profit organization that seeks to raise money and funding for literacy and homelessness prevention programs through RPOA member donations and contributions from the general public.  We recognize that charitable contributions can positively affect the wellbeing of individuals, families, and neighborhoods, as well as affecting the future of Michigan commerce and industry.

With your gift to the RPOA Charitable Fund, you can directly impact the lives of individuals and families that make up the foundation of our industry.  Contributions made to the fund go directly to support programs such as the Reading Works program at Sibley Elementary School in Grand Rapids.

Reading Works offers $100 monthly rental vouchers to the families of students who qualify and commit to read with their children before school three times a week, for five months. Reading Works gives up to 20 families mentoring opportunities as they learn to work with their child effectively, building self-esteem and positive self-concept as well as family pride. Students participating in the program have increased their reading speed and comprehension up to six times during the course of the program.  Increased parent interaction with the school is another result of the program.  Participating parents that are challenged with English as their primary language have also benefited from the program, enabling them to find better employment opportunities.

The RPOA is also pursuing the development of a Homeless Prevention Fund to be administered by a local service agency.  Many of the programs currently utilized to assist tenants with rent or other financial needs are attached to some strict government mandated criterion or other mandated policies.  The purpose of the Homeless Prevention Fund would be to fill the gaps where other funding cannot meet the needs of someone facing imminent homelessness, enabling a tenant to remain in their home.

To make a contribution to the campaign, you can call the office at 616-454-3385 or mail a contribution to:

RPOA Charitable Fund

1459 Michigan Street NE

Grand Rapids, MI  49503

Checks should be made payable to the:

RPOA Charitable Fund