Nearly $30,000 In Grants Awarded To Eight Local Organizations

Hancock, Michigan – The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) of Keweenaw Community Foundation (KCF) announced that $29,512 has been awarded from the Kellogg Youth Endowment to eight local organizations for its 2018 granting cycle. These grants will support projects that benefit youth in grades 6-12 in Houghton and Keweenaw Counties.

The grant recipients are:

• Dan Schmitt Gift of Music and Education Fund to pay instructors to teach music to youth and to assist in busing for outdoor education instruction.
• Michigan Technological University for “A Day of STEM in the Copper Country” to provide high school students in our community the opportunity to participate in STEM activities to ignite a passion for STEM learning and introduce them to careers in STEM.
• Calumet High School SADD Chapter to raise awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol.
• Calumet Theatre Co. for their 2018 “Movie Magic Film Series” to provide funding for youth/family movies for July and August 2018.
• City of Hancock to purchase multiple bicycle parking racks for at least three locations where large groups gather. As well as a second project to purchase playground swings for physically disabled users – children, youth, young, and adult usage.
• Copper Country ISD for providing multicultural experiences for middle/high school students in Houghton County by making attendance at multicultural events at MTU more accessible to middle/high school students.
• Houghton MI Skatepark to finalize funding for a professionally built, public, outdoor, concrete skatepark in Houghton, MI.
• Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc. to provide financial assistance and reduce fees to give every girl the opportunity to unleash her power as a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader).

Projects will take place between May 2018 – May 2019.

The projects chosen each addressed areas of need highlighted by the Youth Need Survey. Conducted in the fall of 2014, the survey collected responses from students in grades 7-12 at local area schools. It found that depression, drug abuse, and harassment represented the greatest challenges to local youth. The survey also asked teens which youth programs would be beneficial to youth in the community. The majority of teens were interested in after-school programs. The full survey results are posted on the KCF website: http://keweenawcommunityfoundation.org/who-we-are/youth-advisory-council/.

For more information on giving or grant opportunities, please visit the KCF website (www.keweenawgives.org) or email mail@k-c-f.org. To be placed on KCF’s request for proposals list, please email your contact information to hailey@k-c-f.org. You will be notified when grants become available.