The Community Impact Fund - The Biggest Impact, and Why it Matters
You are a change-maker. You believe in our communities, and you want to make them better. We feel the same way. As your Community Foundation, we spend every day working to improve the lives of all who live in and visit northeast Michigan. The Community Impact Fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM), built from donations from hundreds of people who care about our communities, allows your gift to do the most good, sustaining and building a vibrant region.
As its name implies, the Community Impact Fund is one of the most impactful, and therefore important funds held at the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan. It allows us the unique opportunity and flexibility to meet the needs of our communities (Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Presque Isle Counties) as they change and evolve year after year. Over $115,000 is awarded annually from this fund through our Community Impact grant program. As the Community Impact Fund grows through additional donations and investment income, its grants will increase as well.
At CFNEM, we believe whole-heartedly in the power of endowment as the best way to provide much needed funding in support of our communities for the needs of today, tomorrow and for generations to come. Years from now, this fund will be supporting needs in our communities we can't even imagine today. Though there's no crystal ball to tell us what those needs will be, the Community Impact Fund gives us the promise that on the sunniest and rainiest days of the future, there will be funds to make sure northeast Michigan is a great place to live, work and play for all of our residents and visitors!
Your donation to the Community Impact Fund, no matter the size, is a gift that will continue to provide funding for our communities forever. Expertly invested with all of CFNEM's charitable funds, you can make the maximum impact with your charitable dollars here.
Community Impact Grants
Since 1974, the Community Impact Fund has provided grants supporting health and human services, educational programs, arts and humanities, environmental projects, and much more. Here is just a brief sample of some of the organizations and projects that have been funded. As we look toward even greater impact, our Board of Trustees is committed to identifying pressing needs in northeast Michigan, and proactively addressing those issues through collaboration with other nonprofits and local expertise.
- 211 Northeast Michigan - Implementation of 2-1-1 Services for Northeast Michigan
- Alcona County Baby Pantry - Car seats and safe cribs for infants and children
- Alpena County / Friends of the Plaza Pool - "Ready, Set, Swim" and other pool programs
- Alzheimer's Association of Northern Michigan - Outreach, education and support projects
- Art in the Loft - Art-based programs for adults and children in northern Michigan
- Besser Museum of Northeast Michigan - Repair and preservation of historical items, other museum programs
- Boys and Girls Club of Alpena - Funding for AmeriCorps members and club activities
- Child and Family Services of Northeast Michigan
- Department of Human Services - Safe Sleep program and child abuse/neglect prevention
- District Health Department No. 4 - Girls on the Run
- Alcona Historical Society - Renovation of the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
- Food Bank of Eastern Michigan - Food for low-income families in northeast Michigan
- Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary - Thunder Bay Film Festival, place-based educational programs, ROV programs
- Friends Together - support for cancer patients, survivors and families
- Habitat for Humanity
- Huron Humane Society
- Northeast Michigan Community Mental Health
- Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency - Funding for elder abuse prevention programs, home ownership/foreclosure assistance and outreach programs
- Presque Isle County Historical Museum - Renovations and educational programs
- Hope Shores Alliance
- Sunrise Mission - support for homeless individuals and families
This is just a sample of the types of grants and organizations funded through Community Impact grants. Your support of this fund means your donation will have a hand in supporting incredible, much needed programs like this, today, and forever!
