3/6/2023

The North Central Michigan Community Foundation’s (NCMCF) Youth Advisory Councils, or YACs awarded $20,936 in new grants to Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties for programs benefiting their peers and their communities.

The NCMCF Board of Trustees approved the YAC’s 19 grant award recommendations in February 2023. Grants awarded include:

• $3,191 to Rayola, Inc. through three grants to purchase comfort care packages for foster children in Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties.
• $2,500 to Coalition of H.O.P.E. for the “Be the Light and Seize the Awkward” project.
• $2,500 to GiGi’s Rockin’ Ranch to assist with purchasing a structure for this new nonprofit’s plan to create programs that assist adults and children with mental and physical disabilities in partnership with animals.
• $2,500 to West Branch First United Methodist Church for the GAP Kids Camp.
• $2,100 to Northern Michigan Children’s Assessment Center for community outreach and the “Kids Have Rights” curriculum project.
• $2,100 to Ana’s Treasures through three grants for the “Ana’s Essentials” project providing clothing, shoes, schools supplies, toys and hygiene products to children in foster care.
• $2,100 to Iosco Regional Educational Service Agency through three grants for “Project Clothed in Kindness”, providing clothing to adult education students in Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties.
• $2,000 to Iosco County Coats for Kids to purchase coats, hats, gloves and scarves for children in Ogemaw County.
• $1,500 to Ogemaw Youth Basketball Organization for start-up costs.
• $500 to AuSable Valley Nor-east’r Association of Folk for a guitar giveaway program for kids.
• $445 to the Kirtland Foundation for the “Exploring the Arts” program.

The NCMCF YAC is a group of young people ages 12 to 21 from Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties. YAC connects youth to their communities through grantmaking and teaches the impact philanthropy has on the present and future.

The next deadline for grant opportunities through NCMCF is with the Community Impact Grant program. Applications are due June 30, 2023. Nonprofits, schools, and churches interested in applying for a Community Impact Grant can access the online application and criteria at ncmcf.org. If you have questions or need assistance with the application process, contact the NCMCF office at 877-354-6881.

NCMCF serves Crawford, Ogemaw, and Oscoda Counties, and is an affiliate of the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM). CFNEM serves as the administrative arm for its affiliate foundations. NCMCF is led by a volunteer board of local citizens committed to providing people who care about the future of the region and its communities with unique and effective ways of supporting their community now, and for generations to come. The foundation oversees a group of permanently endowed funds from a wide range of donors. Gifts of all sizes from individuals, families, businesses, and agencies are invested in a balanced, well-managed portfolio to build endowments, enabling support for local community nonprofits now and forever. To donate or learn more about how community foundations work, visit ncmcf.org or call 989-354-6881; toll-free: 877-354-6881.

#####