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Spring Community Grant Awards Announcement

This Spring, the Oceana Community Foundation awarded $41,700 in grants to 11 organizations, with most receiving full funding for their projects up to $5,000. While the Foundation supports all type of community projects, most of these grants focused on environmental projects, infrastructure development, and accessible healthcare. To see a complete list of grant awards, click here.

“Twice a year, the types of applications the Community Foundation is a barometer for our area’s changing needs,” Foundation CEO Tammy Carey explained. “Last fall, community organizations were looking for support for arts programs, public healthcare, and nonprofit programmatic support. However, this spring the focus shifted to investing in our local parks, educational opportunities, and increasing our neighbors’ access to essential healthcare like palliative support for those in need or repairs for assistive devices. Our donor-advised fund partners and supporters of the Community Investment Fund allow the Foundation to be flexible to our partners’ needs.”

Some of the recent eleven grants include:

  • $5,000 to Colfax Township to build an accessible picnic area at the Colfax Township Beach;
  • $2,700 to the Oceana County Council on Aging’s Assistive Device Clinic to connect its residents with healthcare experts and advocates from the Disability Network;
  • $5,000 to Walkerville Public Schools to support sending its paraprofessionals to a professional development training in Denver;
  • $5,000 to Village of Hesperia to construct a multi-use pavilion at Vida Weaver Park;
  • $5,000 to the Grant Township Firefighters Association to purchase an inflatable house to educate the community on the importance of fire safety devices:
  • $5,000 to Oceana County Economic Alliance to support economic development efforts across Oceana CountyAn additional $15,150 support came from the Foundation’s field-of-interest funds and its Community Investment Fund, which supports the county’s most pressing needs. The Bessie E. & Ethan Allen Gray Health Fund, the Oceana County Parks & Trails Fund, and the Oceana Youth Fundsupport specific interest areas like the environment, health, youth or the arts. The Youth Fund is overseen by local high school students and budding philanthropists. They meet monthly to discuss youth needs in our area and in the schools and how to address them through grantmaking and volunteering.

The Foundation’s donor advisors play a large part in the success of meeting our bi-annual community grant round requests. Partners for this round included the Janie Denman Legacy Fund, the Edward and Evelyn Kolbe Fund, the Ordoobadi Family Fund, the Gail Paulus Family Fund, the Sparks/Ryan Memorial Fund, and the Randall and Linda Wagner Family Fund. “We’re immensely grateful for the steadfast support we’ve received from our 65 donor-advised funds – totaling over $150,000 in the last three years alone! Their generosity has been instrumental in our mission’s success and underscores the profound difference we can make together,” noted Carey.

While the 2024 Spring Competitive Grant Round is now closed, Oceana nonprofits, government agencies, schools, and community organizations are invited to apply for up to $5,000 in the Foundation’s Fall Grant Round. The application will open on August 1st with letters of intent due on August 15th and full applications on August 30th. In mid-October, applications will be notified their applications’ outcomes. For more information, potential applicants should reach out to the Foundation’s Program Officer, Hannah Naples, at 231.869.3377 or hannah@oceanafoundation.org. More information of the upcoming Fall Competitive Grant Round is available at the Foundation’s website.

For more information about making a gift, now or through an estate plan, creating a named fund at the Foundation, or to learn more about Foundation programs and activities, please call Tammy Carey at 231-869-3377 or email at tammy@oceanafoundation.org.