3/21/2024

ALPENA—The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM) recently awarded a new round of community grants covering a four-county area that includes Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, and Presque Isle Counties. The Board of Trustees recently approved 61 new grants totaling $132,718. Of that amount, $95,610 was awarded in Community Impact Grants, and $37,108 was awarded in grants from the Northeast Michigan Youth Advisory Council (NEMYAC).

New Community Impact Grants are:

• Alcona County Baby Pantry - awarded $5,000 for the Alcona Children Safety project.
• Alcona Historical Society - awarded $1,000 for Lighthouse Day.
• All Saints of Alpena - awarded $2,954 for the Center of Charity project.
• Alpena County - awarded $2,000 for the Alpena County Parks/Beaver Lake Day Park enhancement and accessibility project.
• Alpena Public Schools - awarded $1,000 for the “A Crescendo for STEM with FIRST Robotics” project.
• Alpena Public Schools - awarded $2,500 for the Alpena High School North Point Nature Preserve Wildlife Acoustic Research project.
• Alpena Swim Club DBA Thunder Bay Schooners - awarded $500 for the Equipment Storage Carts project.
• Alpena's Bird Center - awarded $2,500 for the Helping Injured Wild Birds Soar Again project.
• American Red Cross of Northern Michigan - awarded $2,000 for the Disaster Cycle Services/Home Fire Campaign project.
• Ana's Treasures - awarded $2,000 for the Ana's Back to School/College Program.
• Atlanta Community Schools - awarded $2,000 for the Young Reader History project.
• Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan Inc. - awarded $3,000 for the Discover Northeast Michigan History Exhibit: Phase 2 project.
• Boys and Girls Club of Alpena - awarded $1,000 for the SMART Moves-Healthy Lifestyles project.
• Charter Township of Alpena Fire Department - awarded $4,839 for the Ice/Water Rescue Equipment project.
• Friends of Ocqueoc Outdoor Center - awarded $3,550 for the Outdoor Educational Classroom.
• Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan - awarded $5,000 for the Hillman Affordable Housing Property Acquisition project.
• Harrisville United Methodist Church - awarded $4,800 for the Feeding Alcona County Families project.
• HeadWaters Land Conservancy - awarded $2,000 for the Coastal Restoration project.
• Hillman Community Schools - awarded $1,500 for Hillman High School Senior Trip Transportation.
• Hospice of Michigan Inc. - awarded $2,000 for the NorthStar Palliative Care project.
• Hubbard Lake Baptist/Bible Church - awarded $5,000 for the Feeding the Hungry project.
• Huron Pines - awarded $3,000 for the “Healthy Forests for Healthy Water” project.
• Inspiration Alcona - awarded $1,500 for the HARC - Teaching Basic Pottery Wheel Skills project.
• Iosco County Coats for Kids - awarded $2,000 for the Keeping Kids Warm project.
• Iosco RESA - awarded $1,500 for the Healthy Class Snacks & Meal Prep Tutorial For IRESA Adult Ed Students project.
• Lions Club of Alpena Memorial Fund - awarded $2,000 for the McRae Park Baseball Area project.
• Long Rapids Township Fire Department - awarded $2,000 for the Firefighter Safety and Effectiveness project.
• Mikado Township - awarded $2,500 for No Child Without a Christmas.
• Millen Township of Alcona County, Michigan - awarded $5,000 for the Millen Township Baseball Field Fence Post Replacement project.
• New Beginnings Ministries - awarded $5,000 for the “Food for Those in Need” project.
• Northeast Michigan Center for Fine Arts, Inc. (Art in the Loft) - awarded $2,000 for the 2024 Annual Young Artist Exhibit project.
• Posen Consolidated Schools - awarded $3,500 for the Marine Debris Prevention: Protecting Our Great Lakes and Oceans project.
• Quirky Quilters Quilt Guild - awarded $1,500 for the Project Quirky Quilters Quilt Guild project.
• Rogers City Main Street-DDA - awarded $1,687 for the Safety in the Streets project.
• St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church - awarded $1,280 for the Cub Scout ROV Team project.
• Thunder Bay Island Preservation Society - awarded $5,000 for the Engineering & Design Plan for Dock and Walkway project.

Grants for this Community Impact Grant cycle come from the Community Endowment Fund, as well as several other unrestricted, designated endowment funds, and donor-advised funds including Alcona  County General Fund, Alcona Healthcare Initiative Fund, Ann M. Kuntz Fund for Presque Isle Youth, Huron Shores Health Fund, United Communities of Presque Isle County Fund, Montmorency County General Fund, Wayne Wire Cloth Fund, Presque Isle General Fund, Mr. and Mrs. O.B. Eustis Memorial Fund, CFNEM Spendable Tobacco Fund, Marianne Kalivoda Hall Memorial Fund, Genite Family Fund, Lappan Family Fund, Neva Nelson Memorial Fund, Panel Processing Fund, Pfeiffenberger Fund, Reitz Family Fund, Stevens Fund, and Mr. and Mrs. Walter G. Weinkauf, Sr. Fund.

Also approved were grants recommended by the Youth Advisory Councils (YAC) of Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, and Presque Isle Counties:

• Alcona Community Schools - awarded $2,000 for the Alcona Football Receiver Training Equipment project and for HARC's Sense of Place Art Tile Mural project.
• Alcona County Library - awarded $1,104 for the Alcona Visions Unleashed project.
• All Saints of Alpena - awarded $1,923 for the Center of Charity project.
• Alpena Montmorency Alcona Educational Service District - awarded $1,000 for the AMA ESD Transition Night project.
• Alpena Street Performers, Inc. - awarded $1,288 for the Downtown Street Performer Series project.
• Alpena Swim Club DBA Thunder Bay Schooners - awarded $1,275 to purchase a Dry Land Exercise Mat.
• Ana's Treasures - awarded $2,500 for the Ana's Treasures Christmas Program.
• Atlanta Community Schools - awarded $1,218 for a classroom project.
• Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan Inc. - awarded $2,100 for the Discover Northeast Michigan History Exhibit: Phase 2 project.
• Boys and Girls Club of Alpena - awarded $1,800 for the Youth Become Leaders Through Volunteering project.
• Harrisville United Methodist Church - awarded $2,400 for the Feeding Alcona County Families project.
• Hubbard Lake Baptist/Bible Church - awarded $500 for the Feeding the Hungry project.
• Hubbard Lake Lions Community Foundation - awarded $500 for the Playground Swing Replacement project.
• Huron Pines - awarded $2,000 for the “Healthy Forests for Healthy Water” project.
• Mikado Township - awarded $906 for No Child Without a Christmas.
• Montmorency County 4H Fair Association - awarded $434 for the Birds of Prey project.
• Northeast Michigan Center for Fine Arts, Inc. (Art in the Loft) - awarded $2,500 for the Food As Fuel 101 project.
• Pegasus Springs Therapeutic Riding Center - awarded $2,000 for the More Than Horses project.
• Posen Consolidated Schools - awarded $2,010 for the Posen Elementary S.T.E.M. Initiative project.
• Presque Isle District Library - awarded $1,500 for the Phonics and Decoding Resource Library project.
• St. Paul Lutheran Church - awarded $900 for the Cub Scout ROV Team project.
• STARBASE, Inc. - awarded $750 for the Rolling with STEM/Sphero Robot Programming in the Classroom project.
• The Stone House Studio - awarded $2,000 for the Improv Program.
• Thunder Bay Transportation Authority - awarded $2,500 for the Summer Youth Transportation project.

The next opportunities for submitting grant applications are through the Northeast Michigan Women’s Giving Circle and Community Impact Grant with respective grant deadlines of July 1, 2024, and July 15, 2024. Applications are available at cfnem.org.

The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan is a charitable organization committed to providing people who care about the future of our area with unique and effective ways of supporting their community now, and for generations to come. Led by a volunteer board of local citizens, the foundation oversees a group of permanent endowment 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 cfnem.org or call 989-354-6881; toll-free: 877-354-6881.

Photos: Top right: Northeast Michigan Youth Advisory Council (NEMYAC) members hear a grant applicant presentation from Christine Witulski of Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan; Bottom left: NEMYAC members review grant applications during their Winter 2024 grant review meeting.

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