News & Events

Fremont Area Community Foundation recently awarded $3.1 million in its second community grant round of 2022, bringing the total awarded in both rounds in 2022 to more than $5.6 million.

Grant support was awarded to a variety of organizations serving Newaygo County residents, including programs addressing watershed restoration, post-secondary education opportunities, summer reading, and more. Most grant awards concentrated on the Community Foundation’s focus areas of community and economic development, education, and poverty to prosperity.

More than 50 grants were awarded in total, including a $12,500 grant to Goodwill Industries of West Michigan for their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA offers free tax preparation services to low- and moderate-income families in Newaygo County. It also helps families identify tax credits they might be eligible for, like the earned income tax credit. For more information, call 2-1-1 or visit vitawestmichigan.org.

Another grant for up to $43,450 was awarded to Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency (NC RESA) for their 2023 summer internship program. Local young adults ages 16-21 can apply for paid summer internships at a variety of work sites throughout the area, gaining valuable career-related work experience.

Other grants included more than $53,000 for summer camp scholarships for Newaygo County youth and $59,000 for new materials at several local libraries.

The Community Foundation accepts community grant applications online twice each year. Applications for the first grant round of 2023 are due on March 1.

The deadline for high school seniors to apply for scholarships from Fremont Area Community Foundation is March 1.

Each year, the Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships to Newaygo County students seeking to continue their educations. In 2022, the Community Foundation awarded more than $644,000 in scholarships. These scholarships are all created by generous donors and are tailored to address a wide variety of experiences and circumstances, from planned fields of study to community involvement and extracurricular activities.

In addition to scholarships for students planning to attend college or university, the Community Foundation has multiple scholarships created specifically to support students interested in apprenticeships, trade school, certification programs, or other job training programs. Scholarships are available for students pursuing careers in HVAC, building trades, machining, automotive services, and much more.

To apply for scholarships, students complete just one general application online. They are then automatically matched for review for any eligible scholarships.

For more information or to apply, visit facommunityfoundation.org/scholarships. Applications must be submitted no later than March 1.

As we kick off 2023, we are delighted to approach philanthropy with a renewed mission and strategic framework. We’ll be sharing details early in the year as we finalize our work plan and partner with donors to fulfill our promise to make our community even more vibrant.

I count my blessings to work with such generous people to make our community a better place. I am so optimistic about our future! Did you know that Newaygo County recently ranked 13th among small counties for talent attraction across the nation? That we saw positive increases from 2017-2021 in educational attainment and availability of jobs? These statistics, from Lightcast’s annual talent attraction scorecard, demonstrate our steadfast commitment to make real progress. That takes all of us working together, and the Community Foundation is proud to be a strong partner in our success.

On a personal note, my heart is warmed through by the strength of services for the most vulnerable in our community. I know we can do even more, and the Community Foundation staff and trustees are more committed than ever to making that happen. Call me anytime with your thoughts. I wish you a safe and happy winter season.

Fremont Area Community Foundation recently awarded a $5 million mission-related investment to Great Lakes Energy to expand local access to broadband internet service in Lake, Mecosta, Newaygo, and Osceola counties.

The investment will support Great Lakes Energy’s expansion of their Truestream fiber network, empowering more rural residents with access to the internet connections they need for work, school, and telehealth. The expansion is slated to impact all four counties served by the Community Foundation, including its three geographic affiliate foundations.

Approximately 53 percent of people in Newaygo County do not have broadband access, according to FCC data. While numbers are more encouraging in Mecosta County, a quarter of the population still lacks access to broadband. In Lake and Osceola counties, the number is over 70 percent. This creates significant barriers to working and studying from home, accessing telehealth services, and completing important tasks like looking for a new job or filing taxes. Affordable access to reliable internet can also create new possibilities for business expansion and increased home sales.

“Rural areas like ours are still not widely served by the reliable, high-speed internet that is now a necessity for most people and businesses,” said Shelly Kasprzycki, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We are excited to support the local expansion of broadband service.”

Kasprzycki noted that a mission-related investment is a unique, flexible tool that philanthropic organizations can use to create positive impacts in a community beyond regular grantmaking programs.

“Unlike a typical grant, a mission-related investment is repaid, and because these investments are recovered, it allows our resources to go farther and be used again,” said Kasprzycki. “Great Lakes Energy has an over 85-year history in our state, and we’re proud to partner with them on this important project.”

Great Lakes Energy is the largest member-owned power company in Michigan, serving rural parts of 26 counties in western Michigan. They provide electric service to nearly 29,000 homes and businesses in Lake, Mecosta, Newaygo, and Osceola counties. They launched Truestream, a fiber internet and voice service, in 2018 to provide connections to underserved and unserved rural areas. Nearly 4,000 miles of fiber line has already been installed in 10 counties and nearly 16,000 homes and businesses have been connected.

“This partnership with the Fremont Area Community Foundation furthers our goal to bring internet and voice services to our members,” said Shaun Lamp, president and CEO of Great Lakes Energy and Truestream. “We have already begun expanding the Truestream network in Newaygo County and with this investment will continue the momentum to connect more homes and businesses to life-changing fiber service.”

For more information about Great Lakes Energy’s Truestream network visit truestreamfiber.com.

Beginning in January 2023, the Community Foundation office will close at 2 p.m. each Friday afternoon. Staff will be back in the office on Monday mornings, and you can always find helpful information on our website.