The Community Foundation for Oceana County (CFOC) is proud to introduce the six community leaders participating in its regional Leadership Learning Lab (LLL): Rubi Berumen, Aubrey Boerema, Curtis Burdette, Mark Olmstead, and Griffin Vogler. As the fifth cohort of LLL, participants will join Oceana County’s 26 LLL alumni in expanding their leadership skills and networks.

In 2019, the Oceana County Sheriff’s Department recognized that preparing schools for emergency lockdowns was not enough, as it prevented public safety officials from being able to provide life-saving aid. The Sheriff’s Department and the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) partnered to install Knox Boxes at every school in Oceana County. Through the Oceana Youth Fund and the Community Investment Fund, YAC awarded the Sheriff’s Department an initial grant of $3,000. The Knox Box project received a second grant of $2,098 from the Foundation’s Friends of Oceana County Sheriff’s Office Fund.

The Pentwater Arts Council (PAC) knows the answer: through community engagement and placemaking. PAC is beginning its three-year-long Sculpture Walk Initiative in collaboration with the Pentwater Downtown Development Authority. In this project, five sculptures were placed along downtown Hancock Street. In preparation for its first summer, PAC’s Sculpture Initiative received a $6,500 grant supported by the Foundation’s Randall and Linda Wagner Family and the Janie Denman Legacy Funds.

Annually in August, teachers have the opportunity to apply for teacher mini grants up to $250, a program run by the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC). In 2022, the program provided 38 grants, nearly $13,000, to seven schools in Oceana County – nearly doubling the number of grants from 2021. In addition to support from the Oceana Youth Fund, the program significantly grew thanks to partnerships with several donor advised funds of the Foundation including Mrs. Mullen’s Closet, Little Point Sable Arts for Oceana, Ralph’s Kids, Nobles Family Medical Reserve Corps and the Mary Ann Peterson “Grandma Pete” Memorial Fund(s).

Empowering students begins with connecting their interests with critical skills – a realization guiding West Shore Community College’s ‘College for Kids Camp.’ Over 200 students, 9-15 years old, from Oceana, Lake, Manistee, and Mason counties spent a week exploring careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics). With a $5,000 combined grant from the Oceana Youth Fund and Mrs. Mullen’s Closet Fund, the Foundation sponsored 32 Oceana students to visit WSCC to explore skill clusters and the Skills for Success framework. These essential skills include Technology Literacy, Collaboration and Global Thinking, Communication, Critical Thinking, Ethical Citizenship, and more.

Together with donor-advised fundholders, Oceana Community Foundation recently awarded $58,925 to 19 local nonprofits, schools, and government agencies. While awards were divided among projects supporting the arts, education/youth, community development, and environment management, the greatest area of need was access to health and human services with a focus on family welfare and food accessibility. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees and staff would like to thank each grant applicant, fundholder, and volunteer that made its Spring Community Grant Round a success!

Oceana Community Foundation is excited to announce that there is an open AmeriCorps position. Perfect for someone at any stage in their career, the Foundation’s AmeriCorps member will play a vital role in its communications, marketing, event management, and database management. As a member of the Foundation’s office in Pentwater, you’ll gain professional experience in nonprofits and community development, and make a big impact in our community as our Outreach Coordinator. An Outreach Coordinator position has become increasingly important in this time to ensure connectedness within our community to make Oceana a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant place to live.

The Electric Forest Music Festival focuses on creating collaborative change in Oceana County through its charitable give-back programs. As part of its EF Michigan CAMP Project, the Electric Forest Charitable Fund inspired a collective effort to provide $14,500 in new instruments to Hart, Hesperia, Montague, Shelby and Pentwater bands by providing a lead gift of $10,000. Additional investments from the Electric Forest Charitable Fund include a $10,000 grant to sponsor recycling containers in the new Shelby Township Community Park and a $5,000 contribution towards the installation of the City of Hart’s Tin Man sculpture.

Congrats and best wishes to the class of 2023! The Oceana Community Foundation is excited to support 197 new and renewing students and five Complete Your Degree adult scholarship recipients as they pursue higher education. The Foundation’s scholarship program continues to grow to better meet our graduates’ interests in post-secondary education. This year’s program surpassed last year’s record amount with a total of $323,545 in 280 awards from 60 different scholarship funds! Recognizing the value in long-term support for students pursuing higher education, over a third (38%) of this year’s awards are renewable in future years including Hart Public Schools Robert E. Diman Scholarship, Shelby Rotary Club Scholarship, Michael W. Malburg Sr. Memorial Scholarship, and more.

As summer begins, the Oceana Community Foundation is pleased to launch our 3rd annual donation drive for the Oceana’s Michigan Migrant Child Task Force. The Foundation is collecting donations of new hygiene items, children’s books and toys, and more to share with West Michigan’s migrant farmworkers and their families. Each item donated is directly going to a family via the Migrant Child Task Force’s Camp Outreach events!

Oceana Community Foundation is pleased to announce that it recently received accreditation with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations in January 2023. Achieving National Standards Accreditation was a crucial part of the Foundation's transition to becoming an independent community foundation, as the optional certification is a symbol of integrity and best practices within the charitable giving community. National Standards Accreditation ensures that the Foundation has policies in place for financial stability and longevity, affirming its continued commitment to its donors, grantees, and community.

With the help of community partners, the Shelby Rotary Club and the Oceana Community Foundation are thrilled to announce $5,745 in campership grants! 29 Oceana students received a scholarship to attend the camp of their choice this summer. Every student who applied for a campership was awarded a grant ranging from $100 to $250. Awards were determined based on campers’ financial needs and a preference for first-time applicants.

The Oceana Community Foundation is thrilled to announce 16 grant proposals were awarded in its Fall Community Grant Round. The awarded grants totaling $66,112! The grants were awarded to nonprofits, governments, and schools across Oceana County. “Our twice annual community grant rounds are another opportunity for our donor partners to support their favorite causes and meet the greatest needs of Oceana County. It’s what community foundations are all about – forming a trusted relationship with our donors so they can give back to their community in an informed and active way.” Foundation CEO Tammy Carey states. To see a complete list of grant awards, visit https://oceanafoundation.org/grants/past-grant-awards/. 

The Community Foundation for Oceana County’s scholarship application is now open and accepting applications until March 1, 2023. To be eligible, you must be a resident of Oceana County and a graduate of an Oceana public or private school. Scholarships are available for everyone; graduating seniors, current college students, even those looking to enter an apprenticeship program- everyone should apply!

The Community Foundation is excited to announce over $12,900 were awarded in Teacher Mini-Grants to help teachers start their year off with extra resources! This annual program provided 38 grants to seven schools in Oceana County – nearly doubling the number of grants from 2021. In addition, to support from the Oceana Youth Fund, the program significantly grew thanks to partnerships with several Donor Advised Funds of the Foundation including Mrs. Mullen’s Closet, Little Point Sable Arts for Oceana, Ralph’s Kids, Nobles Family Medical Reserve Corps and the Mary Ann Peterson “Grandma Pete” Memorial Fund(s).

The Community Foundation for Oceana County announces the opening of their Fall 2022 Community Grant Round. The application opens Monday, October 3rd, requests are submitted online at the Foundation’s website and due by October 31st. The main source of funding for the Foundation’s twice-yearly grant applications is the Community Investment Fund. This unrestricted fund is designed to support emerging critical needs and to support community opportunities as developed. Other sources of grant funding are the Foundation’s Field of Interest Funds, focusing on arts, youth, health, parks, environmental needs and community development projects. The Foundation’s sixty donor advised fund partners also provide significant funding towards the Community grant rounds.

The Community Foundation for Oceana County is thrilled to launch its Complete Your Degree (CYD) program and application process starting July 1st. The CYD program is designed to help local adults achieve degrees and credentials towards meeting the employment skill gap, thereby increasing household prosperity and fostering a more vibrant economy. The first cohort of CYD members will be chosen for the upcoming school year. Adult learners residing in Oceana County are encouraged to apply to join CYD by following the application instructions off our website, under the scholarship tab. For more information about this year’s CYD cohort, applicants are encouraged to attend the Foundation’s Lunch and Learn virtual session at 12 noon on July 13th. The registration link for that session can be found on our events page. 

Congrats to the class of 2022! Throughout the past four years, our graduating seniors have faced many challenges and continued persisting to reach this incredible milestone. The Community Foundation for Oceana County and its scholarship donors are thrilled to welcome these young adults into the next stage of their life and provide financial support for their college education. In total, the Foundation’s 2022 Scholarship Program awarded over $273,500 to 164 recipients – 245 individual scholarships in all! 

The Community Foundation for Oceana County is thrilled to announce its largest community grant round to date, awarding $77,422 to 24 projects! The grants were awarded to nonprofits, governments, and schools across Oceana County. While the grants varied widely in focus from education to recreation to environmental stewardship, nearly a third supported the growing mental health crisis. “It is phenomenal how community partners respond to Oceana County’s greatest needs, especially this alarming crisis in mental health,” Foundation CEO Tammy Carey states.

The Community Foundation for Oceana County is thrilled to announce our 2nd annual donation drive with Oceana’s Michigan Migrant Child Task Force (MMCTF)! With West Michigan welcoming thousands of farmworkers from across the US and abroad, our Migrant families are a crucial part of our summer community as they hard-harvest local produce. Our area’s Migrant Child Task Force is a part of a larger Department of Health and Human Services initiative to address resource insecurity facing young children and their families. The Foundation is collecting much-needed items like toothbrushes, soap, diapers, and toys for the Migrant Child Task Force to deliver. Each item donated is directly going to a family via the Migrant Child Task Force's Camp Outreach events!