TRAVERSE CITY — The St. Clair Butterfly Foundation (SCBF) has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Les and Anne Biederman Foundation to expand its trauma-informed expressive arts programs in Northern Michigan.
According tio a May 9 news release, The three-year investment ($15,000 in Year 1, $10,000 in Year 2, and $5,000 in Year 3) will allow SCBF to build the internal infrastructure needed to meet rising demand from schools, juvenile courts, and community organizations seeking evidence-based strategies to address trauma, toxic stress, and the youth mental health crisis.
“We are deeply grateful to the Biederman Foundation for recognizing the urgency of this moment and investing in long-term healing solutions for our region’s young people,” said Lisa St. Clair, Co-Founder of SCBF. “This grant will help us train new facilitators, digitize our systems, and expand our capacity — ensuring we can meet growing demand without sacrificing the integrity of our work.”
Founded nearly two decades ago by authors and child advocates Chip and Lisa St. Clair, SCBF has become a national leader in trauma-informed, expressive arts education. With over 29,000 lives touched and an independently validated model that outperforms many traditional behavior frameworks, SCBF is currently partnering with school districts in Kingsley, Benzie, and Bear Lake/Brethren, as well as the 13th Circuit Court–Family Division.
The Biederman Foundation’s support will allow SCBF to:
- Hire and train additional facilitators through a newly developed digital Learning Management System (LMS)
- Expand outreach to regional school districts, including Frankfort/Elberta and Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS)
- Launch a data dashboard to track and evaluate outcomes like student behavior, school climate, and educator confidence
Over the next three years, SCBF anticipates serving an additional 2,000+ students and 300+ educators and court professionals, while partnering with 5+ new districts or agencies.
The Biederman Foundation has long supported youth services, education, and civic engagement in Northern Michigan. This investment in SCBF is a powerful statement of confidence in the foundation’s mission and the urgency of addressing trauma through research-backed, compassionate care.
“To be entrusted by a foundation with such a strong legacy of impact in Northern Michigan means everything to our team,” said Chip St. Clair. “Together, we’re not just scaling programs—we’re scaling hope.”
For more information about SCBF or to get involved, visit www.scbf.org or contact Kelli Mengebier at kelli@hkmassociates.com.