Grants

Each year, the Saginaw Community Foundation infuses thousands of dollars back into the Saginaw County community in the form of grantmaking. Through its multiple grant programs and funds, the foundation supports a wide variety of programs and projects with the focus of improving the quality of life in Saginaw County’s communities. Click on the grant programs to the right to learn more. 

Who can apply for a grant?

Other than grants made to individuals through designated scholarship funds, grants will be made only to those 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, local units of government and religious institutions requesting funds to support programs or projects benefiting the citizens and communities of Saginaw County. Grants will be made for a wide variety of programs and purposes benefiting the citizens and communities of Saginaw County. Grants are typically made for one year.

What types of programs and projects does the Saginaw Community Foundation support?

The foundation is particularly interested in funding:

● Projects enhancing and preserving the quality of life in Saginaw County

● Projects not adequately being served by existing community resources

● Projects providing leverage for generating other funds and community resources

● Projects facilitating cooperation and collaboration between organizations

Grants usually do not support operating budgets, basic municipal services, basic educational functions, endowment campaigns, previously incurred debt and sectarian religious programs. Low priority is given to requests for travel for groups such as school classes, clubs or sports teams (see the Dow communityGives grant if this is a need). The foundation does not give grants to individuals, including requests for utility payments and food. If you need this kind of support, call 211.

Application Process

To begin the application process, contact Kendra Kempf at kendra@saginawfoundation.org. She will review your proposed project for eligibility, as well as answer your questions. Appropriate programs will be assigned a grant number, which must be included on your application. Once your full proposal is received, SCF will conduct a comprehensive review. For additional information, review our frequently asked questions.