By Keely Baribeau
Throughout St. Clair County, numerous public, nonprofit and community-based projects and organizations have been making steady progress this year, often with financial support from the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. Year-to-date grants from the Foundation currently surpass 524 totaling $2,642,799. View the complete list here.
“The Community Foundation is a very decentralized company,” said Patti Manley, the Foundation’s Board Chair. “So we’re making grants on a weekly, or even daily basis and so far this year is off to a really good start.”
The Community Foundation accepts grant applications year-round and there are numerous ways to receive grant funding from the organization. Almost any nonprofit in St. Clair County is eligible to have their request considered by one or more of the many committees within the Foundation. There are also numerous Donor Advised Funds which make grants at the discretion of the donor and/or their family or company.
“One of our key strategic focus areas this year is on our rural and small towns,” added Manley. “And some of our key grants made so far reflect that.” Some highlights include:
• Memphis Lions Club; $3,000 for holiday food baskets in the form of a “Basic Needs” grant
• Lions Club of Emmett received $13,329 for hall renovations
• C3 Connection, a food pantry in Yale received $1,000 for general support and $10,000 for building repairs
• In Emmett Township, a $30,000 grant will support the creation of a biking/walking trail in a centralized park
Scott Mueller, Emmett Park Committee Chairman shared the impact the new recreation area has offered to the Emmett region. “We are so happy with the support of our Master Plan and grant funding from the Community Foundation,” he said. “The walking/biking trail area is packed when we have events. This improvement is bringing this community together. There are a lot of happy people as a result of the Community Foundation’s help.”
Education has been another focus area this year. In addition to a $38,000 grant to Yale High School for non-sport extracurriculars, the St. Clair Endowments, James C. Acheson Fund and Youth Advisory Council (YAC) granted a collective $14,750 to the Blue Water Area Robotics Alliance (BWARA) for their quest to compete in the State/World Championships. The East China team made it to Globals!
“The Community Foundation grant’s influence extends well beyond its immediate scope,” explained BWARA President Steven Tenniswood. “Supporting BWARA Teams at the Michigan State FIRST Robotics Championship and the World Championship in Houston, Texas, proved transformative. The students would have missed these pivotal experiences entirely without the Foundation’s financial backing.”
YAC Chairperson Joshua Kriesch noted that the BWARA grant was a win-win for the teams as well as YAC. “YAC was excited to support these students and BWARA. Not only were we able to benefit the teams, we granted them an experience they may never forget!” He further detailed the Council’s enthusiasm for supporting non-traditional extracurricular student groups such as BWARA. “YAC is able to set priorities and implement positive changes to our community. Specifically for the FIRST Robotics grant, we were able to use our funding and tie the application into our personal development priority. This way students who aren’t involved in sports or art or music can thrive in their own ways through robotics! Our YAC works very hard to prioritize depth in our grant making process.”
Yale High School Principal Brad Dykstra shared additional thoughts on the impact of supporting this sector of student interest. “The grants we receive from the DuPont Family Endowment via the Community Foundation provide our students with several enrichment opportunities each year,” he said. “Students have gained opportunities like annual field trips to art institutes and the solar eclipse, allowing us to host an annual BWAC art expo, and providing equipment for our audio/visual studio and fine arts programs. The generosity of the DuPont family and the stewardship of the Community Foundation provides immeasurable benefits. We are truly blessed and grateful.”
Amidst the year-to-date grants, the Community Foundation offered a unique additional opportunity for local nonprofits through the 2025 Big Give. This event is done every three to four years and serves as a 24-hour giving marathon. This year, 70 organizations participated, 1,370 donors contributed and over $626,000 was raised in a single day.
To learn more about the Foundation’s grantmaking, visit https://stclairfoundation.org/grants/.
To explore becoming a donor yourself, visit https://stclairfoundation.org/giving-center/.