About Me

Steven de Polo has a unique ability to excite and inspire non-profit organizations to maximize their mission. Steven brings perspective by drawing upon experiences earned while working for some of the most dynamic organizations in New York City – streamlining donor services for the Museum of Modern Art, strengthening partnerships with media and cultural leaders with the New York Landmarks Conservancy, and growing membership and planning events for the New York Hall of Science. Having moved to Grand Rapids, MI in 2001, he decided to focus on his expertise in grant-writing. He developed funding opportunities for special projects in conductive education, chemistry, and theater at Aquinas College and made possible the 50 percent growth in the operating budget at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. He is now the Director of Foundation Giving for Grand Valley State University, where he focuses on major capital projects and endowment campaigns for academic programs. Steven has an AB in Art History from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and an MA in Art History-Art Administration from the Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia. His arts background helps him to think creatively, breakdown organizational barriers, and plan strategically to help organizations large and small maximize their mission in times of declining revenue. He has leveraged his expertise by serving on committees and boards of the Wealthy Theatre, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Coalition for Community Reinvestment, Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids, Soul of the City Music Festival, Space vs Time, Mixed Greens, Local First Education Foundation, Grand Rapids Creative Youth Center, and Kids Food Basket. His personal life is equally busy. Steven has had several one-act plays produced by 24-Hour Theatre and curated a month-long exhibition for the Rockaway Artists Alliance in Fort Tilden, Queens. He enjoys photography and has had his work published in most of the publications in town. He currently writes a monthly column in Revue magazine. He produces black box plays for Black Hills Theatre and he helps manage a local vaudeville-style theater company that does monthly shows in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Saugatuck, and Kalamazoo in Michigan. Born in Detroit, MI, Steven currently lives in the Fairmount Square District of the core city of Grand Rapids. He previously lived in the diverse neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens in New York City for over a decade. His step-daughter recently graduated from Bennett College, which is an all-female Historically Black College in Greensboro, NC and is working in New York City. He is co-parenting a daughter adopted from China and another adopted from Haiti with his girlfriend from Chile.