Ever wonder how Community Foundation funds are invested and managed? We checked in with Kathy Pope, our vice president and chief financial officer, and Bill Alsover, chair of our Board of Trustees and Investment Committee, to get more details on this important component of the Community Foundation’s operations.

 

Our investments provide funding for the Community Foundation’s grants to nonprofits and scholarships to students. To fulfill our mission, we must maintain a pool of assets sufficient to build community capital for future use with the corresponding obligation to support current and future community needs. The primary goal is to provide for long-term growth of the investments without undue financial risk to help meet the Community Foundation’s spending goals.

The Community Foundation has an Investment Policy Statement that provides the philosophy and investment objectives for investing our funds and standards for monitoring investment performance.

Our investment strategy utilizes an allocation between asset classes (stocks, bonds, cash, and others). The allocation of the investments is diversified so they are not subject to large changes in value due to market fluctuations. The most important decision is to reduce risk and accomplish long-term success.

To oversee our investments, we have a five- to seven-member Investment Committee made up of trustees and community members with an investment background. The Investment Committee works with an outside investment consultant that provides investment reporting, education, and recommendations to the committee.

Fremont Area Community Foundation was recently awarded reaccreditation by the Community Foundations National Standards program.

The accreditation process is rigorous and comprehensive, requiring proof that a foundation meets 26 distinct standards of excellence. Compliance demonstrates the Community Foundation’s commitment to sector-driven best practices that exceed federal and state law requirements. Organizations must renew their accreditation every three years.

“We are proud to be recognized once again for our commitment to excellence,” said Shelly Kasprzycki, Community Foundation president and CEO. “The community’s trust is our top priority, and our National Standards accreditation demonstrates publicly that we meet and exceed a high standard of accountability and integrity.”

National standards cover mission, structure, and governance along with stewardship and accountability practices, grantmaking responsiveness and due diligence, confidentiality and privacy policies, and more. Community Foundation staff members and trustees spent several months collecting, reviewing, and submitting the materials required for consideration.

The Community Foundations National Standards program was established in 2000 by sector leaders and the Council on Foundations. While community foundations face regulation at the state and federal levels, the accreditation program provides an additional layer of rigorous and enforced accountability. More than 550 U.S. community foundations participate in the National Standards program. More information can be found at cfstandards.org.

Fremont Area Community Foundation was founded in 1951 by a group of dedicated community leaders and has grown to be one of the largest community foundations in the U.S. on a per capita basis. In 2023, the Community Foundation awarded $8.6 million in grants and more than $700,000 in scholarships. In 2024, it was the fifth-largest community foundation in Michigan by asset size.

The organization’s mission is to enhance quality of life for all people in Newaygo County and surrounding communities. In addition to serving Newaygo County, the Community Foundation supports the operation and manages assets of affiliate foundations in Lake, Mecosta, and Osceola counties.

The Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships each year to high school seniors, current college students, and medical students. And this year’s application deadline (March 1) is quickly approaching!

As you or the student in your life is working on a scholarship application, check out the tips below for ensuring that application is as good as it can be. As always, please contact us any time with questions about the scholarship process. Email rcowles@facommunityfoundation.org or call 231.924.5350.

  • Use a personal email address on the application—not your school email, which you’ll lose access to when you graduate. Doublecheck the phone number you include too; we may need to reach you.
  • Take your time. Leave yourself plenty of time to gather the information you’ll need, ask questions, and write a good essay. Don’t wait until February 28 to start—start now!
  • Read all questions and answer options carefully. This is especially important when it comes to questions about your major or career path. Choosing the best answers from the lists there ensures that you’re considered for all the scholarships for which you’re eligible.
  • Make your English teacher proud and use your best spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Think essay, not text message. Ask someone to proofread for you too.

If you’re awarded a scholarship, our biggest tip: check your email regularly! We’ll send you a form to complete before any money can be released. We may also have questions or need more information. If you can’t be reached by email or phone, your scholarship could be cancelled.

Scholarship applications for high school seniors, current college students, and medical school students are completed online and due March 1. The application for Newaygo County adult students is open year-round; for more information on adult student scholarships, click HERE.

Fremont Area Community Foundation recently awarded $3.2 million in its final community grant round of 2024. In both 2024 community grant rounds, the Community Foundation awarded nearly $6 million total.

Grant support was awarded to a variety of organizations and programs serving Newaygo County residents, including programs centered on watershed restoration, career and college access, literacy, hunger prevention, and more. Most grants targeted one of the Community Foundation’s three focus areas: community development, education, and poverty reduction.

The Newaygo County Environmental Coalition was awarded an $18,000 grant, along with an additional $2,000 from a donor advised fund. The grant will support the Healthy Habitats Project and encourage awareness, education, and engagement around restoring native habitats. Along with regional partners, the group will train “citizen scientists” for specialized volunteer projects and species data collection.

Newaygo County received a $13,600 grant to purchase and place 32 bleeding control kits within each public school building in the county. The kits are a goal of the Newaygo County Safe School Collaborative, a countywide partnership focused on addressing school safety issues and planning. The bleeding control kits help to address potentially life-threatening bleeding that can occur after emergencies, accidents, or disasters. Kits contain essential equipment school employees can use while waiting for trained responders to arrive.

Rooms of Refuge, a new program of Love INC, was awarded a $74,500 grant with an additional $500 from a donor advised fund. This program provides a rotating emergency shelter for people without housing. It utilizes local church partners as host sites that provide an evening meal and a private space for guests to sleep. In the morning, transportation is provided to a day center where guests have access to laundry, kitchen, and other facilities that help them keep up on day-to-day activities while they work to secure housing.

The Community Foundation accepts community grant applications online twice each year. The next deadline is March 3. For more information, visit facommunityfoundation.org/grants.

It’s Community Foundation Week (November 12-18)! This annual celebration was created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush to recognize the important work of community foundations and their collaborative and innovative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sector.

In honor of Community Foundation Week, here are some facts about our sector:

  • Cleveland Foundation in Ohio was the first community foundation, created in 1914.
  • There are now more than 900 community foundations in the U.S. and at least one community foundation on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Silicon Valley Community Foundation in California is the largest community foundation in the world, with $13.8 billion in assets in 2022.
  • We are the fifth largest community foundation in Michigan (based on 2023 assets). Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and Community Foundation of Greater Flint are first through fourth. We are the 88th largest in the country (as of 2022).
  • We got our start as a private foundation in 1951, but in 1972 we reorganized to become a public charity and community foundation.
  • More than half of U.S. community foundations are located in the Midwest, and more than one-third serve rural communities—like ours!
  • Education, arts and culture, and human services were the fields receiving the most grant funding from Michigan community foundations in 2023.
  • U.S. community foundations collectively grant more than $14.8 billion in each year.

David M. Byrne is an attorney based in Fremont specializing in estate planning, small business, probate and trust administration, and Medicaid nursing home planning. He also serves on Fremont Area Community Foundation’s Professional Advisors Board. He has seen it all in his 31 years of practice. In honor of National Estate Planning Week, he answered some important questions and shared the good, the bad, and the horror stories of estate planning.

What factors contribute to the different results of estate planning?

David: “Estate planning” is exactly what the name says: planning for what happens to a person’s property upon death. Estate planning should also properly name a person to make business/financial actions and medical decisions on behalf of a person. If a person has a minor or disabled child, it is important to name guardians to care for the child should the parent die or become unable to do so. To put it simply, a successful result from estate planning is if a person’s desires actually occur.

What is an estate planning bad result?

David: A bad estate planning result is when the person’s desires are not met when the person becomes unable to handle their own business or medical affairs and/or upon their death. I have witnessed matters and relationships become very contentious after a person’s incompetency or death, which may result in unnecessary and costly legal proceedings. Those become the horror stories. Relationships are permanently destroyed, and estates are financially depleted by legal proceedings.

What are some horror stories?

David: I have lots of examples. People with minor children or disabled children usually have very specific people in mind to be the guardian, if they are unable to themselves. However, unless properly named in a last will and testament, the probate judge will have to select a guardian for the child, and the judge is limited by Michigan statute. Several family members may believe that they are the best to care for the child. So instead of stability and the family all working together in a time of crisis, there is uncertainty and legal proceedings to determine who the guardian will be.

Another example is if a person names all of their children as an owner and/or beneficiary on bank accounts, real estate, cars, retirement accounts, life insurance accounts, etc., there are all sorts of issues. Creditors of a child/beneficiary can take assets to satisfy the child/beneficiary’s debt. The person may be limited from managing, making decisions regarding, or selling their own property. I was involved in a case where the person added as a joint tenant to a person’s property refused to allow the actual owner to sell the property or transfer the property to someone else. There is no one person who can act to administer the “estate.” There is no money to pay the bills of the property and estate. Each joint owner will need to individually contribute to each expense. Each joint owner needs to agree to all sales, transactions, payments, etc. This creates lots of problems and expensive legal proceedings.

On the other hand, if only one child/beneficiary is named as the owner/beneficiary, that child/beneficiary may not follow the desires of the deceased person. There is no requirement for the child/beneficiary to account for their actions. This results in strained relationships and very possible litigation.

 How does a person end up with a successful result and avoid a bad result or even worse, a horror story?

David: The key word in estate planning is “plan.” We all have heard the saying “failing to plan is planning to fail.” If a person doesn’t plan for their estate, then their desires are not likely to be met. The best way for a person to plan for their estate, the guardianship of any minor/disabled children, and for when the person is unable to act, is to work with an attorney experienced and specializing in estate planning. This attorney can walk the person through a series of questions to make sure the person has thought about the various scenarios and resulting desires for whatever happens in the future. If there are concerns regarding how family members and/or beneficiaries will act, the attorney can draft to limit or remove any potential issues. The attorney will then draft and review with the client the necessary documents to ensure that the client’s desires will be met. These documents include a will and/or living trust, durable power of attorney, patient advocate, etc. A well drafted estate plan that carefully details what the desires of a person are and directs the necessary actions is the best way to make sure that person’s desires are put into effect.

Fremont Area Community Foundation hosted its annual Fall Donors Luncheon at the Heritage Museum of Newaygo County on September 24. Nearly 70 people attended the luncheon and heard updates on the Community Foundation’s work.

Shelly Kasprzycki, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO, provided a progress report on the organization’s strategic workplan. “We’ve created a legacy and it’s because of people like you,” said Kasprzycki.

Christopher Wren, Newaygo County administrator and Community Foundation trustee, spoke about the county’s work to increase access to transportation. “Day one, when I started and asked what’s the biggest challenge we’re facing, people said transportation,” said Wren.

In partnership with the Commission on Aging, there have been increases in vehicles, drivers, and dispatchers as well as in overall numbers of riders and trips. The county continues to explore additional options.

“We want to bring mobility to Newaygo County with equal access,” said Wren.

Updates on the Community Foundation’s Housing Partnership Fund were also shared with the group. The fund was launched with money approved by the Newaygo County Board of Commissioners and the Community Foundation’s Board and has so far awarded three rounds of grants for new housing across the county. Projects receiving funding will add an anticipated 100 housing units in Fremont, Grant, Hesperia, Newaygo, and White Cloud.

“Our grants are allowing builders to leverage other funding sources,” reported Lindsay Hager, vice president and chief philanthropy officer at the Community Foundation. “We have seen new housing units in areas that haven’t seen development in years.”

Following the updates, donors were invited to share their thoughts on top local priorities and the impact of the Community Foundation.

Since the 1990s, our Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) has provided a space for young adults to be leaders in philanthropy and grantmaking. Our group is made up of students from Fremont, Grant, Hesperia, Newaygo, and White Cloud high schools and homeschool. They oversee the Community Foundation’s Youth Endowment Fund and review and award grants from it each year.

Our YAC meets one morning a month during the school year. Here’s a snapshot of a typical meeting and what our YACers are doing this month.

The week before:

Our team of four officers meets with their staff advisors to plan an agenda. Officers are elected each year by their peers. They decide on topics and activities, how to present them, and who will facilitate each agenda item. The advisors are there for support, but YAC meetings are almost entirely youth-led.

8:45 a.m. on meeting day:

We start with snacks and an icebreaker activity (this month, we’re sharing what we did over summer break). We review minutes from our last meeting and go over the meeting agenda. Every third month, Community Foundation trustees will visit and share a report from the board.

9:15-9:45 a.m.

Most of the meeting is broken up into four half-hour sections: continuing education, grantmaking, leadership development, and a topic that varies each month. Our continuing education block might feature a presentation from a staff member or local organization, studying a particular trend or issue, or learning about another topic. This month, we’re creating group norms for the year and setting expectations for how we want to treat each other and create a space where everyone feels safe to participate.

9:45-10:15 a.m.

Next up is usually grantmaking. In January and February, we’ll work on a grant review simulation to prepare for our real grant review in March and April. In the meantime, there’s a lot to learn, and YACers take their responsibility very seriously! They learn how to read a proposal and budget, share feedback, reach consensus, make motions, and take minutes.

10:30-11:00 a.m.

After a break and energizer game, we explore a topic or activity the YAC officers have picked out. This month we’re talking about recruiting new members. Each school group will meet to develop a plan for getting the word out at their school.

11:00-11:30 a.m.

We typically end with leadership development. We’ve talked about different leadership styles and how to work together effectively, motivational values, and more. This month, we’re talking about planning a needs assessment to determine the most pressing needs and concerns of local youth. We’ll spend some time working in subcommittees and as a whole group. A needs assessment is a big project we’ll work on throughout the year.

Wrap-ups

We often wrap up with a discussion question or challenge to complete before the next meeting. We share reminders or announcements, then finish up with lunch (pizza and breadsticks are a favorite).

Recently, we reviewed the report “Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2023.” It is remarkable that Americans donated an estimated $557.16 billion to U.S. charities in 2023. After a decline in 2022, total giving showed positive signs in 2023, though it has not yet surpassed the high of 2021.

Here in Newaygo County and in the counties served by our three affiliates—Lake, Mecosta, and Osceola—we witnessed an exponential increase in giving. In 2022, we were grateful for $1.3 million in gifts; in 2023, the Community Foundation received $4.4 million. Nearly 30 new funds were created with us last year. Not only did individual donations increase, but we also established a successful partnership with the County of Newaygo to enhance housing and received planned gifts that boosted our assets and community investment ability. Our area is incredibly generous.

What makes charitable giving through a community foundation unique is the ability to direct your gift to meet your charitable intent. Whether it be long-term giving like Our Next 75 members, having a donor advised fund, including the Community Foundation in your estate plans like Slautterback Legacy Society members, or making an unrestricted gift to meet the ever-changing needs of our community, your contributions make a significant impact.

We are excited to work with our donors to continue strengthening the capacity of people and communities. In tumultuous times, we remain steadfast in building goodwill, earning trust, and strengthening relationships. We are forever grateful to our wonderful donor partners for making this possible. Aesop said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” We value each gift, no matter the size, and we invest those gifts to enable even more giving. Last year, total grants awarded were nearly $9 million and scholarships exceeded $700,000.

If you would like more information about giving or are interested in our investment returns, grants, and leadership, please contact me at 231.924.7601. We welcome your interest. Thank you!

Fremont Area Community Foundation recently awarded $2.7 million in its first community grant round of 2024.

Grants were awarded to a variety of organizations and programs serving Newaygo County residents, including waterway restoration and protection, art programs, after-school programs, and more. Most grants targeted one of the Community Foundation’s three focus areas: community development, education, and poverty reduction.

Newaygo County received a $98,000 grant to support recycling services. Donors contributed an additional $2,000 from donor advised funds. Funding will support recycling efforts while reducing waste throughout the county. Newaygo, Croton, White Cloud, Fremont, Garfield Township, and Grant all currently host community drop off sites for recycling.

Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency will receive up to $127,126 for skilled trades expansion at the Newaygo County Career Tech Center. A donor contributed an additional $500 from a donor advised fund. The grant will support the addition of a new HVAC program along with updates to the construction program area.

Hope 101 Ministry received a $24,870 grant for operating support as they provide transitional and stable housing for local individuals and families experiencing homelessness. In addition to safe housing, Hope 101 offers case management, financial literacy classes, and mentoring opportunities.

The Community Foundation accepts community grant applications online twice each year. In 2023, the Community Foundation awarded more than $6 million in its two community grant rounds.

The next grant deadline is September 3. For more information, visit facommunityfoundation.org/grants.

At their June meeting, our Board of Trustees elected new trustees Julie Burrell and Dorothy Paris.

Burrell is a Hesperia High School graduate and is the senior economic development director for Newaygo County with The Right Place. She holds a degree from Grand Valley State University and serves on our Impact Investment Committee as well as several other local boards and committees.

Burrell is looking forward to becoming more involved with the work of the Community Foundation.

“I look forward to seeing the strategic process of how the Community Foundation makes the biggest impact possible,” said Burrell. “Being a part of those conversations is exciting. I feel that the Community Foundation is an organization where board service is truly making a difference.”

Paris is a retired CPA and partner at H&S Companies with experience in nonprofit accounting. She has served on local boards and committees, including the board of Newaygo County Compassion Home. She also chairs our Audit and Risk Management Committee.

“I was interested in serving on the board because I’m retired and wanted to stay involved in the community,” said Paris. As a longtime area resident, “I love that people are caring here,” she said. “I love all the nature we have around us and that everybody knows your name.”

Burrell and Paris were elected to fill vacancies left by the retirements of Dr. Lori Tubbergen Clark and Micheal Anderson, who had both served the maximum of three terms.

Tubbergen Clark was elected to the board in 2015 and most recently served as board chair. She will remain chair of the Trusteeship Committee. Anderson was also elected to the board in 2015, has served on the Distribution Committee, and will remain on the Audit Committee.

New officers were elected at the June meeting as well. Bill Alsover was named board chair and Ken DeLaat was named vice chair. Mikhail Salacina will serve as treasurer, and Dr. Susan Wente will be secretary. Rounding out the board’s Executive Committee is Peggy Rossler as trustee at large.

The board meeting also included the approval of committee assignments, financial statements, multiple fund agreements, and spring community grant recommendations.

Our Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) recently awarded $59,410 in grants to several programs serving Newaygo County youth.

Grants were awarded to programs provided social, recreational, and educational opportunities for local youth as well as those supporting Newaygo County young people facing challenges with vaping and drug use, mental health, and other issues.

TrueNorth Community Services received a $12,500 grant to support Parks in Focus. The program connects students to nature through photography and environmental recreation. Students experience camping, kayaking, hiking, and more while also learning about photography and building positive connections with peers and adult mentors.

Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes, Inc. received a $3,500 grant from YAC for their middle and high school programming in the 2024-2025 school year. A donor also contributed $500 from their donor advised fund. Junior Achievement will bring local volunteers into classrooms to talk about their careers, backgrounds, and the training and skills needed to succeed in their fields.

Other YAC grants will support mentoring programs in Newaygo and White Cloud, robotics programs, job training, library programs, and more.

Grant applications were reviewed by YAC members who come from each Newaygo County public high school and the local homeschool community. Throughout the school year, YAC members also meet to build leadership skills and learn more about philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

YAC grants are awarded each spring, with applications due on March 1. For more information, visit facommunityfoundation.org/YACgrants.

Last month, three Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) members and their advisors, Maria Gonzalez and Patti Wheater, spent a day in Lansing as part of the Keep MI Kids Tobacco Free Alliance Day at the Capitol. The tobacco treatment and prevention team at Corewell Health Gerber Hospital spoke at a YAC meeting earlier in the year about vaping and tobacco use in Newaygo County. We were grateful for the invitation to then join them in Lansing on June 13.

The day began by meeting with other groups from around the state to learn more about tobacco use in Michigan and a bill package aimed at reducing youth tobacco use. A few facts we learned:

  • Tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Michigan, killing more than 16,200 Michiganders annually. (American Lung Association)
  • Michigan is ranked 49th in state spending on tobacco prevention, ahead of just West Virginia and Texas. Michigan spends only 1.7% of the CDC’s recommended funding level. (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)
  • Michigan is one of 12 states that make up a region called “Tobacco Nation.” These states—including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and others—have a smoking prevalence nearly 50% higher than in the rest of the U.S. (Truth Initiative)

We were scheduled to meet with our legislators later in the morning and had time to practice and prepare. Our group met with State Representative Joseph Fox. YAC students Cayman, Noah, and Rachel did a great job sharing facts on vaping and tobacco use and their perspectives on the impact of vaping on their peers.

After lunch, we went on a tour of the Capitol building and sat in the gallery as the House of Representatives voted on a bill. The tour was a highlight of the day. “My favorite part of our day in Lansing was being able to explore the Capitol building for the first time and see all of the beautiful architecture,” said Cayman.

We wrapped up our day with an ice cream social on the Capitol lawn. It was a great day to bring awareness to an important issue, experience new things, and get an up-close look at how our state government works.

“It’s important to be educated and a part of a higher level of knowledge to help understand what is going on in the state,” said Noah.

Fremont Area Community Foundation’s annual Spring Donors Luncheon featured Alex Gorsky, former chairman and CEO of Johnson and Johnson, as its guest speaker. More than 110 donors attended the June 20 luncheon, held at the Pavilion at Waters Edge.

Gorsky is a graduate of Fremont High School and the United States Military Academy at West Point. After serving in the Army, Gorsky began his career with Johnson and Johnson in 1988 as a sales representative. He became chair and CEO in 2012. Under his leadership, the company grew from approximately $60 billion to $100 billion in total sales.

The luncheon featured Gorsky in conversation with Shelly Kasprzycki, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. They talked about Gorsky’s experiences growing up in Fremont, serving in the Army, and leading Johnson and Johnson during a pandemic.

Gorsky’s parents, Al and Loretta Gorsky, moved their family to Fremont in the early 1970s for Al’s job with Gerber. While leaving relatives and moving to a small rural community was a big change, Gorsky remembers that the community here quickly embraced them.

“Our family, we just love this community,” said Gorsky. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the community of Fremont.”

Gorsky also talked about fielding calls in his kitchen from world leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic as his company worked to develop a vaccine. “It was an incredibly emotional time,” he said. “We were on a mission.”

Reflecting on challenges and opportunities in healthcare, Gorsky shared, “We’ve never seen a time of so much technology and innovation as we’re seeing now.”

In recent years, the Gorsky family has been instrumental in the revival of the Waters Edge property, including the golf course, restaurant, the Pavilion event space, and The Bunker. “This is a special place for Newaygo County, and we want it to be here for the long term,” he said. He also recognized his wife, Pat Gorsky, for her work managing many of the project details.

In addition to their work at Waters Edge, the Gorsky family are active philanthropists and have created a fund at the Community Foundation as part of their ongoing commitment to this area.

“This community has been such an important part of our lives,” said Gorsky. “We have always had a warm place in our hearts for this community. We feel it’s our responsibility to give back.”

These reflections on 2023 are featured in our latest annual report. You can explore the full report here.

From our President and Board Chair

In 2023, we awarded $8.6 million in grants, gave scholarships to 327 students, and issued $5.1 million in impact investments. We also launched the Newaygo County Housing Partnership Fund to support housing creation. Grants from the fund have allowed recipients to leverage nearly $9 million in total project investments so far.

Along with the successes of 2023, we also experienced the loss of our friend Mary Rangel. Mary served on our Board of Trustees for nine years and chaired our Poverty to Prosperity Committee. Her legacy will live on through her family, her endowment fund, the many people she helped, and the lessons we learned from her about exercising compassion, optimism, and dedication.

It is partners like Mary—and people like you—who shape our work. By partnering closely with donors and organizations, we can proactively find solutions and take courageous action. Money alone will never solve problems. We must work together and recognize that it is often small steps that truly create a brighter future.

We hope you enjoy this annual report and that it sparks ideas for ways we can partner in the year ahead. Thank you for your philanthropy through volunteering, acts of kindness, donating to causes you care most about, and helping lead change. You make all the difference.

Shelly Kasprzycki, President and CEO
Lori Tubbergen Clark, PhD, 2023 Board Chair

You may have heard of an opportunity through the Community Foundation called impact investing. If you are anything like me, when you first heard it, you probably had a lot of questions about what this is and does it change the way the Community Foundation does its work. The answers to those questions are yes and no.

Impact investing, in its simple form, is purposefully making investments that help provide social impacts that benefit our communities. Now you may be asking, what does that mean? The Community Foundation makes investments of our asset base to continue to grow our endowment. Impact investing allows us to do this locally. We work with local businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to invest in projects across Newaygo, Lake, Mecosta, and Osceola counties. As the investments we provide are completed, they are paid back to the Community Foundation to allow us to do more projects in the future.

The opportunity that impact investing provides allows us to have a broader range of impact in our communities by supporting not only our nonprofits and government entities, but sometimes our local businesses as well. We can generate financial returns while also creating positive social change on a local basis across our communities. The Community Foundation uses its strategic goals around strengthening capacity for people and communities to determine the social impact of a project and engages with our donors to provide impact investment opportunities.

Impact investing consists of a few different opportunities, including working with Northern Initiatives, program-related investments or mission-related investments, or small business loans in partnership with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union. Through these investments, we have supported over $9 million in our communities. Some of these projects include 911 equipment for Central Dispatch in Newaygo County, broadband expansion with Great Lakes Energy, and affordable housing opportunities with various developers.

For more information on our impact investments, contact Maria E. Gonzalez at the Community Foundation at 231.924.5350.

 

 

The application period for grants from the Ice Mountain Environmental Stewardship Fund is now open. Completed applications are due by July 15.

Grant requests are accepted online for projects or programs that conserve, enhance, or restore the Muskegon River Watershed and demonstrate collaboration among organizations. Projects considered for grants must be located within the Muskegon River Watershed, which is one of Michigan’s largest and spans 2,700 square miles from near Higgins and Houghton lakes to Muskegon.

The Ice Mountain Environmental Stewardship Fund was established at Fremont Area Community Foundation in 2002 by what is now BlueTriton Brands. In 2018, Ice Mountain renewed its support with a $2 million commitment over the next 20+ years.

Grants are made from the fund to sustain the waters and water-dependent natural resources of the Muskegon River Watershed by supporting conservation, enhancement, and restoration projects. The fund provides up to $50,000 annually and typical grants are from $5,000 to $20,000. In 2023, grants from the fund supported trail and bridge construction on Michigan’s Dragon Trail, hazardous waste collection, tree planting for stream bank stabilization, and more.

For more information or to begin an online grant application, visit facommunityfoundation.org/icemountain. Applications can be submitted June 1 through July 15.

Trust-based philanthropy is an action many community foundations are now undertaking to strengthen relationships with grantees. As a Community Foundation team, we strive to be accessible and to understand the challenges faced by nonprofits in the important work they undertake every day to address community problems and protect community assets.

We’ve learned a lot about how to make ourselves more approachable and to streamline, where we can, the grant application and reporting processes. Instead of a complicated logic model for outputs and outcomes, we hope a grantee can share a story. We want them to tell us about how the grant changed lives and what we were able to accomplish together.

Site visits and field trips are also an important part of building trust and partnership. We are frequently visiting grantees now to better understand the projects we fund. A recent example was our visit to the Newaygo County Career Tech Center for a tour and lunch.

Trust works both ways, of course, and we hope to build a stronger-than-ever relationship with our grantee partners so that we have the most impact on quality of life in Newaygo County. We are striving to be more transparent, to provide more technical assistance, and to maintain the absolute highest standards of integrity and financial stewardship possible. Our team is always cognizant that we are the trusted stewards of many donations, creating a forever legacy. Look for more stories on our social media and in our publications about your Community Foundation, and thank you for being a part of philanthropy.

Fremont Area Community Foundation’s Housing Partnership Fund awarded its second round of grants to seven local housing creation projects. In total, $690,000 was awarded.

Projects receiving funding are expected to add more than 100 housing units in Fremont, Grant, Newaygo, and White Cloud. The projects include a mix of owner-occupied and rental units. The $690,000 awarded will enable recipients to leverage $6 million in total project investments.

In the Fremont area, Haven Design Build was awarded a $60,000 grant toward the construction of a duplex. Two larger multi-unit projects also received funding. Stone Hill Estates received a $150,000 grant and the City of Fremont received a $150,000 grant.

In Grant, Frey Management received $150,000 for a five-unit project in Ashland Township. TMW Properties was awarded a $60,000 grant for a duplex on Lee Street, and BMB Builders received $30,000 for a single-family home.

Moxy Homes was also awarded $90,000 to support a project that will add three single-family homes in White Cloud and Newaygo.

The grants are made possible through a partnership between the Community Foundation and Newaygo County. In 2023, county commissioners approved $1 million to help create the Newaygo County Housing Partnership Fund at the Community Foundation. The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees also earmarked an additional $1 million. A committee including county officials, Community Foundation staff, and community representatives like Julie Burrell of The Right Place was formed to create grantmaking guidelines and review proposals.

The first round of housing grants was awarded in early fall 2023. A total of $300,000 was awarded to three projects in the White Cloud and Hesperia areas. The projects were anticipated to add eight housing units in White Cloud and five in Hesperia.

“Over two grant rounds, we have helped builders and developers leverage nearly $9 million in new housing development projects,” said Shelly Kasprzycki, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “This represents more than 120 additional housing units, which are desperately needed in Newaygo County. We are grateful to work with the county and other local partners to address this need and provide support.”

“The board is very excited to see the added interest in the second round of proposals,” said Bryan Kolk, chair of the Newaygo County Board of Commissioners. “This is working out exactly as desired with the jump start of new housing projects. We can’t wait to see what the third round brings.”

A third round of housing grants will be open for applications on March 1, with proposals due on July 15. Nonprofit and for-profit developers are eligible to apply. Applicants are encouraged to leverage additional funding sources and seek the support of local municipalities. Housing developments must be located in Newaygo County to be eligible.

For more information on the application process, contact Lindsay Hager at the Community Foundation at 231.924.5350.

Fremont Area Community Foundation manages 25 separate grant rounds annually, including rounds for our three geographic affiliates. The grant review process is similar for all 25 rounds with some variations due to geographic area, strategic focus area, or fund restrictions. Each grant area has written guidelines that detail the goals, requirements, and focus area details. These guidelines are available on our website and are provided to prospective grant applicants at grantee workshops or individual meetings.

Once grant applications are received from the online grant portal, staff and committee members begin to review them for completeness, adherence to grantmaking guidelines, organizational capacity, and other due diligence. An online scoring process is used by each reviewer, allowing them to numerically rate several sections of the grant application. Scores are then aggregated and a final score is generated for each application. Reviewers can also ask follow-up questions which are sent back to applicants so additional clarification can be provided.

The final score, responses to questions, and a summary is prepared for each grant application. A committee meeting is then scheduled to review each grant summary, and a recommendation is made. Typically, each grant application will either be denied, partially funded, or fully funded. Variations to these alternatives could include a portion being funded as a matching grant (e.g., $0.50 awarded to the grantee for each $1 raised and documented by the applicant), contingency approvals (e.g., Community Foundation funding is only approved if the applicant receives funding from other sources), or phased awards (e.g., half of funds awarded up front, the second half awarded upon successful completion of first half activities).

Once committee recommendations are made, the Board of Trustees reviews recommendations and makes final decisions. Factors considered include the available grant funding in each round, the number of applications received, the scoring summary of each application, applicant capacity, and other information that might be relevant to individual grant applications.

Staff will then communicate the final decision directly to applicants. Staff will follow up with recipients throughout the year by visiting them, preferably when the grant-funded activity can be observed. For applicants who were not funded, staff will meet with them to provide feedback on why the denial was made and suggestions for improving future applications.

Successful grantees receive grant funding, implement the activity, project, or program funded with the grant, then provide follow-up reports back to the Community Foundation. Grantee success stories are written and shared in various Community Foundation publications.