Monday, June 7, 2021

One of the keys to being able to use resources available to families, is knowing those resources exist. Through the “Baby Connect” project of the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District (AMAESD), families with infants received Baby Connect bags which included parent support materials, books, baby care items and self-care products. A Community Foundation grant provided funding for 100 of these bags to families in the AMAESD service area.

Thursday, June 3, 2021

For nonprofits in our North Central Michigan Community Foundation affiliate service area of Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties: Community Impact Grant applications are open and being accepted until the deadline of June 30. This is the FIRST grant process to use our new, online grant application system!

Applications can be completed online at https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cfnem until the grant deadline.
NCMCF Community Impact Grants are for projects and programs that will benefit the residents of Crawford, Ogemaw and/or Oscoda Counties, and are for a broad range of charitable areas of interest. Special funding is also available specifically for programs benefitting health care initiatives for residents of this service area.

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Hey nonprofits – Good news! Whether you are applying for grants for the first time, or the fiftieth, it’s about to get easier.

Our new Online Grants Portal is officially up and running, and we are currently accepting applications for the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan and North Central Michigan Community Foundation Community Impact Grant applications. Read on for more information on our new grant process, and which applications will stay the same for this year on...ly.

STAYING THE SAME FOR 2021 ONLY:
The Straits Area Community Foundation (SACF) Health Care Grant (deadline: June 1) and the Northeast Michigan Women’s Giving Circle Grant (deadline: July 1) will both use the previous method of application this year. You will not be able to submit applications for these two cycles this year through the Online Grants Portal.

All other grant opportunities through CFNEM and our Affiliate Foundations will use the new online application process, and each will become available about two months prior to their due dates.

And as always, we are here to help make the grant process as smooth as possible, so if you need assistance. Apply for grants online at https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cfnem

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Thanks to a grant from the Julie Smith-Mandrick Early Childhood Development Fund, 19 infants and toddlers were able to take swimming lessons through Friends of Plaza Pool at no cost to the families. What a wonderful thing, especially in a community with water to enjoy everywhere!

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Wondering about your scholarships?

If you applied for a scholarship through the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan or our Affiliate Foundations, here’s what you need to know!

• Some scholarship decisions are still under committee review and will be decided soon....
• Keep an eye on your e-mail (including your spam/junk)!
• Any scholarship award e-mail notifications will be followed with a mailed award letter.
• Scholarship checks will be sent directly to the school you are attending. You can expect any award from the Community Foundation to be sent to your school by mid-July.
• IMPORTANT! If you have recently made a final decision on the school you plan to attend, OR if you have decided to switch schools from what was originally noted on your application, please let us know right away to ensure your check is mailed to the right place. Failure to confirm your college choice could delay payment by up to a full semester.

Have more questions or need to update us with the school you are attending? Contact Program Director Laurie Nugent at lnugent@cfnem.org.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Did you know that over the next 40 years, over $16 billion will have transferred from one generation to the next through what is called the “transfer of wealth”? This began over ten years ago, and continues now. Most of that money will leave our communities, but it doesn’t all have to. Keeping just 5% here would mean big things for our communities’ future.

May is Leave a Legacy Month. Here are some simple ways you can leave a legacy for your community:
-Designate a charity as... a beneficiary of an insurance or retirement account
-Tweak your current will to include a percentage for charity
-Consider your own legacy, and contact the Community Foundation
https://bit.ly/3n2AsCs

Monday, May 24, 2021

Donors and grantees are helping make an impact in Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties. Check out our North Central Michigan Community Foundation affiliate’s 2020 Annual Report to see how. https://bit.ly/2Sh1NFE

And a HUGE thank you to our generous annual report sponsors: Weinlander Fitzhugh CPAs and Wayne Winter of Edward Jones in West Branch.

Friday, May 21, 2021

This fun photo comes to us courtesy of Linsdsey Vork of the City of Cheboygan’s Snowshoe Trail. A grant from our Straits Area Community Foundation affiliate helped the City make their recreation trail usable year-round for local families and visitors. The snowshoes are loaned at no expense so people can get fresh air, exercise and enjoy a family activity. How cool!

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

When you think of your legacy, can you picture seeing it in action? May is “Leave a Legacy” Month, and today we share with you the story of August and Peggy Matuzak. This Alpena couple is leaving their mark on the community through a legacy gift, but they are also getting to see that legacy in action NOW.

“Whether we know it or not, we all want to make our world a better place. We feel that by doing something during our lifetime, we can enjoy the results along with everyone e...lse while we are still alive.” – August Matuzak

See the full story in Passion with a Purpose, Vol. II
https://bit.ly/3v8eXmE

Monday, May 17, 2021

Happy World Baking Day!

Your Question of the Day, brought to you by Up North Property Services: What's the last food/dish you baked?

Comment on the QOTD before ...2:00 p.m. and you'll be entered into a drawing to have $20 donated in your name to Women's Giving Circle fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, courtesy of Up North Property Services!

Monday, May 17, 2021

Grant money available! Nonprofits serving Cheboygan County and Mackinaw City are encouraged to apply for the Straits Area Health Care grant for health-related projects. The deadline to apply is June 1. Apply at sacf.net.

Sunday, May 16, 2021

May is Leave a Legacy Month. What better time to celebrate these stories? https://bit.ly/3v8eXmE

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

May is Leave a Legacy Month, and we thank those who are members of the Community Foundation’s Legacy Society! Some of these gifts have already been received; others are planned gifts; and others still are both planned gifts and active right now. To these forward-thinking individuals – we thank you for caring for your community! Want to learn more about the Legacy Society? https://bit.ly/3ucS1Tb

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

What an amazing idea, and we are honored and grateful that proceeds from this will benefit the Community Impact Fund at CFNEM! This is the fund used to provide grants (currently over $100K annually) to a broad range of local nonprofit programs. It is one of the most important funds held at the Community Foundation because of the flexibility it provides in addressing needs in our community as they change and evolve from year to year, and generation to generation. We can't wait to see what the talented artists in our communities come up with!

Monday, May 10, 2021

Each of our affiliate foundations publish an annual report to recognize donors, share their grants, and give a snapshot of the year. Check out the Iosco County Community Foundation 2020 Annual Report! There is much to share. https://bit.ly/2QKS4Hy

And a HUGE thank you to these businesses for their support of this publication: U.S. Gypsum, USG, Bopp-Busch Manufacturing Company, Huron Community Bank, Revord Builders Inc., Tawas Bay Insurance Agency and Tri-County Agency, Inc!

Friday, May 7, 2021

Most of us are passionate about something, and that passion can extend beyond ourselves, if we let it.

Visit cfnem.org to see our second edition of “Passion with a Purpose”, and read the stories of others who have created a legacy through meaningful giving. To learn more about turning your passion into a lasting legacy, contact us.
https://bit.ly/3v8eXmE

Thursday, May 6, 2021

May is recognized as Leave a Legacy Month, and a great time to consider your legacy through a gift to your community through a charity or cause that has special meaning to you. Naming a charity in your will is simple, and you can leave a set dollar amount, or simply a percentage of your will. Did you know estimates show that if everyone in northeast Michigan left just 5% of their estate in a charitable endowment, it would mean over $42 million EVERY YEAR for our communities by the year 2060? Check out our “5% for the Future” information and consider what your legacy will be. https://bit.ly/3n2AsCs

Monday, May 3, 2021

The Straits Area Community Foundation 2020 Annual Report is now online. See how donors and grantees are helping SACF make an impact in Cheboygan County and Mackinaw City at https://bit.ly/3tTZnus. Special thanks
to @citizensnationalbank for sponsoring this publication!

Saturday, May 1, 2021

May is “Leave a Legacy” month, and what better time than Leave a Legacy Month to introduce the second volume of “Passion with a Purpose”! We are honored to share this Community Foundation storybook full of great stories of people who have turned a passion into great purpose through giving. Their stories are worth telling, and we are certainly honored they allowed us to tell them. Enjoy! https://bit.ly/3v8eXmE