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Arts
- Encourage quality arts programming benefiting a diverse audience
- Support arts education and programs for youth
- Improve access to cultural programs, especially for children and youth
- Promote financial stability and organizational development for arts organizations
Education
- Promote educational opportunities through post-secondary scholarships
- Find opportunities that can impact all public and private K-12 districts. Programs and projects serving multiple districts would receive greater consideration
- Support projects that encourage High School completion and success in school
- Promote educational opportunities for the unemployed, under-employed
- Support programs & projects that promote college (any post-secondary education & training) and career readiness
Health and Human Services
- Promote healthy lifestyles through education and prevention
- Improve access to quality health care for all residents
- Promote health programs and projects that increase the quality of health care available in Oceana County
- Support programs that encourage families to become self-sufficient
- Support programs targeted to the elderly and youth
Community Development
- Support projects that promote downtown development throughout Oceana County
- Support capital projects with county-wide impact and benefit
- Support capital renovation projects only if they provide new and expanded programming
- Support civic improvement and economic development efforts
- Support projects that improve the image and perception of the community, including projects that embrace racial diversity and inclusion
- Support programs that improves workforce development & talent creation
Emerging Community Needs
- We know our standard grant categories don’t cover all community needs. The Distribution Committee and dedicated grant committees address other important or emerging community issues when they arise and as we are able to respond. Just give us a call to discuss your emerging issue and we can brainstorm together.
Youth Focused Needs
When applying for youth focused grants, please keep in mind the priorities for youth funding come from our most recent Youth Needs Assessment. Below you will find the results from the assessment that will guide youth funding decisions:
Top issues affecting youth:
- Stress from schoolwork
- Vaping use
- Pressure to succeed
- Depression/Suicidal thoughts
- Lack of self-esteem
- Stress from family issues
Top five programs and activities youth think would be most helpful for these issues:
- Competitive sports
- After-school activities
- Outdoor recreation activities
- Arts, writing, or music-focused programs
- Homework assistance
Other Special Funding Areas
- Environment – support for environmentally oriented programs and projects
- Homelessness Prevention – support programs and projects that provide a local base of support for long-term commitment to homelessness prevention activities
- Parks – support programs and projects that beautify and enhance current and future parks
- Golden Township – support capital improvement projects within Golden Township
- Hesperia Area – support programs & projects in Hesperia village & township
For a list of recent grant awards, click here.
Our Priorities
We give grants to 501(c)(3) organizations, churches, schools, and government agencies serving Oceana County. Because of limited financial resources at this time, the Foundation generally makes only one-time grant commitments up to $5,000. Longer term commitments may be considered for initiatives that show exceptional promise for community impact.
Check out our Spring 2024 Grant Catalog Look for your favorite organization or browse until you find a project you want to support. If you have a Donor Advised Fund, contact us and recommend a grant from the fund to make an impact. If you don’t have a Fund, you can give us a call to assist you in being a grantmaker!
Grant Guidelines
If you're wondering how to make your grant proposal better, or what organizations submit the strongest proposals, we can help.
Learn MoreApplying for a Grant
All applications for grants must be submitted to us electronically, via our online application process, eGrant.
Learn More