Year Began:
1997
How many staff/volunteers do you employ?
NCMCF is an affiliate foundation of the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, which employs six staff members. NCMCF is overseen by a volunteer board of local business and civic leaders. Currently there are eight people on this board. We also have many youth volunteers (approximately 30) throughout Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties who are part of our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) program – a program that is growing the next generation of philanthropy by immersing young people in grantmaking, service and leadership.
History:
NCMCF was established in 1997 when the W.K. Kellogg Foundation offered a 2:1 match for every dollar raised. Local people in Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties worked diligently to raise the funds, and partnered with the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan to house the funds and to officially establish the North Central Michigan Community Foundation. In less than eighteen months the North Central Michigan Community Foundation (NCMCF) raised more than $2 million for a $1 million match from Kellogg, establishing the first endowment funds at NCMCF. Since these initial funds were started, the Foundation has since added over 135 charitable funds benefitting a broad range of interests, each reflecting the causes closest to the donors’ heart. Once a fund is established, anyone can make a gift to that fund at any time, and in any amount. Funds at NCMCF specifically benefit interests locally in Crawford, Ogemaw and Oscoda Counties.
What product or service does your business provide?
We connect donors who care about their communities with the causes closest to their hearts. This means we work with donors on Charitable Gift Planning, with options to give gifts of cash, stocks, insurance, property, charitable gift annuities, donor advised funds, and more. This can be done as part of active giving, or estate planning. Whether a gift is given to establish a new fund, or given directly to an existing funds, NCMCF honors the donor’s intent in perpetuity.
The result of our donors’ generosity are the Grants and Scholarships that are awarded from these funds. Nonprofits seek out grants for charitable programs benefitting residents of Crawford, Ogemaw, and Oscoda County, or depending on the type of fund, some nonprofits benefit directly and annually for their needs based on how a donor has established a fund. For Scholarship funds, local students receive funds to assist them with college, trade, or certificate program expenses.
As a leader in philanthropy, we also provide Capacity Building opportunities that help strengthen the abilities of local nonprofits to carry out their missions effectively. This is an ongoing initiative that has and continues to include board basics training, storytelling and social media training, specialized training, and cohorts for nonprofit leaders.
What is a product/service that you provide that people may not know?
We are known to many as “an organization that gives money”. But none of those grants are possible without the generosity of forward-thinking individuals who have chosen to invest charitably in the future of their communities. The service people may not know about as much, but should, is our Donor Services. It doesn’t take a lot of money to make a big impact in the community. Because the majority of our funds are endowed, a gift not only lasts FOREVER, but continues to increase in size over the years, increasing its impact on the community for the cause the donor has chosen – FOREVER.
Our services to help people make a gift that is meaningful to them and beneficial to the community are a cornerstone of securing our communities’ futures. Our Donor Services can help people give back, often with significant tax benefits as well. It’s a win-win.
What is a unique fact about your business that people may not know about?
Community Foundations are local, regional organizations – we don’t compete with other community foundations. In fact, there are over 700 community foundations across the nation. In Michigan, each of our 83 counties is served by a community foundation. NCMCF in particular, serves donors and nonprofits in Crawford, Ogemaw, and Oscoda Counties.
Additional information you wish to share:
Currently, NCMCF has $6.9 million in total assets, all earmarked for charitable interests in Crawford, Ogemaw, and Oscoda Counties.
Since NCMCF was established in 1997, over $3 million has been awarded in grants and scholarships to the three-county service area.
