By Laura Fitzgerald

The Community Foundation and its many donors made a big impact on St. Clair County in 2024 with 983 grants and scholarship awarded totaling more than $3.6 million.

The Community Foundation has hundreds of grantmaking funds and several grantmaking committees that provide a wide range of funding to St. Clair County organizations, programs, projects and nonprofits. These funds support a wide variety of projects, including youth, education, recreation, public safety, nonprofit capacity building, community and economic prosperity, basic needs and human services, arts and culture and animal welfare.

Click here to view a full list of grants in 2024.

A large portion of these funds are categorized as unrestricted giving, meaning organizations can use gifted dollars however they see fit.

“Unrestricted giving allows organizations to meet emerging community needs on their own timeline so they can better serve the people they support, rather than waiting on a donor who may be further removed from the needs of that community to approve a project or program,” said Program Officer Audrey Sochor.

Notable grants in this area include $105,000 to SONS Outreach, which was used to support programming and operations at their new home in the Harrison School in Port Huron.

“We’re so thankful for our long-term relationship with the Acheson Foundation and the Community Foundation,” Tyrone Burrell, Executive Director of SONS, has said. “The Foundation and their donors have been supporting our work since we first created SONS 30 years ago.”

The Foundation’s many Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) were also busy last year. A DAF allows donors to remain directly involved with the Foundation and are set up to support the charitable interests and passions of the donor. Those DAF’s awarded $663,000 last year, increasing from $558,000 in 2023.

Foundation Supports Education Through Grantmaking to Students, Schools

The Foundation awarded 397 grants and scholarships totaling nearly $865,000 last year to students, school districts and educational organizations. These funds help make higher education more accessible for students by providing dollars for tuition, books, class supplies, and life needs like rent, medical bills, transportation costs, groceries, and other unexpected expenses.

These funds have also supported programs for hands-on learning, career exposure and college readiness programs, such as robotics clubs, SAT/ACT test prep, a trades career fair, college advisor support and a Lego league.

This category of funding has grown over the years because grantmaking committees and several donors have prioritized these funds, Sochor said.

The Foundation awarded nearly $285,000 directly to local school districts and St. Clair County Community College (SC4), which supported literacy programs, STEM programs and extracurriculars. Of note is the Kent George DuPont Family Heritage Fund, which awarded $40,000 to non-sports-related clubs like theater and robotics in Yale schools.

Basic Needs Funding Key Funding Area

Another key area of the Foundation in 2024 was basic needs funding, which contributed to programs that provide food, clothing and shelter. The Foundation supported 177 grants awarding nearly $440,000.

“It’s been a focus of the Community Foundation in 2024 because organizations working in the basic needs space have seen a significant increase in demand,” Sochor said. “On top of the increase in demand, other resources these nonprofits have relied on for support in the past have not been as readily available due to their own funding constraints.”

Notable grants in this area include DTE Energy Foundation grants to seven local food pantries. A grant of $18,500 to Kind Human 4 Human Kind was used to purchase storage bins and shelving, a trailer for transporting food and basic goods, and other transportation costs.

“Because of this funding, we were able to realize our mission and exceed our goals for 2024,” said nonprofit founder Jamie Gipson. “This year alone, we directly supported more than 6,000 St. Clair County residents through our various programs and outreach efforts. We also provided aid to over 400 homeless individuals. By stretching this money and using it as efficiently as possible, we were able to gift in excess of 60,000 essential items to those in need across all programs!”

Placemaking Projects Build Community

The Foundation also supported placemaking projects large and small. These public infrastructure projects that invest in parks, theaters and outdoor spaces are designed to enhance community, create a sense of place and boost economic prosperity. Some notable examples include:

• $10,290 to Belle River Fishing Pier project in Marine City
• $5,000 to Klecha Park project in St. Clair
• $40,000 to McMorran Place in Port Huron for general support
• $86,368 to Friends of the St. Clair River for trail management and general programmatic support

“The City of Marine City is very appreciative for the continued support of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County,” said Marine City Special Project Administrator Scott Adkins. “The fishing pier project will begin active construction in 2025 and together will be integral parts of our new ‘marina district’ which will feature transient boat docks, accessible canoe and kayak launch, the new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible fishing pier and our marina park which itself will feature a pavilion, restrooms and day-use parking. If it were not for the funding and support from the Community Foundation, none of these projects would have been possible.”

Other Areas of Funding and How to Support the Community Foundation’s Mission

The Foundation also awarded grants in these following areas:

• Animal Welfare: $11,979
• Arts and Culture: $370,029
• Community and Economic Prosperity: $934,423
• Environment: $11,274
• Health: $51,567
• Nonprofit Capacity Building: $131,158
• Public Safety: $24,743
• Recreation/Leisure/Sports: $45,802
• Youth: $195,814

If you are interested in learning more about how the Foundation can help advance your charitable goals, click here.

For information about how to ask the Foundation for a grant in 2025 click here.