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The Cadillac Area Community Foundation enhances the quality of life for all members of our community through philanthropy – connecting donor gifts with the needs of our community.
Scholarships & Grant Application Forms
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE:
COMMON SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATON INCUDES:
CAPS Alumni Association Scholarship
Sue Westhauser Memorial Scholarship
Orma and Kenneth Brodeur Scholarship
Helen and Harvey Pell Fund for Education Scholarship
Dr. Fredrick Mannion Scholarship – application by invitation of the Senior Class Counselor
Common Scholarship Application – click here
Paul McMullen Track & Field Memorial Scholarship Application – Wexford Missaukee ISD School District High school track and field performance results in the 1600 and/or 800 meter run.
Helen and Harvey Pell Fund for Education Scholarship – is available to current residents of the Wexford-Missaukee ISD area graduating from high school, have graduated from high school, obtained a GED, or college student may apply.
Workman Fund of Hope Scholarship – is available to current residents of the Wexford-Missaukee ISD area graduating from high school and Wexford Missaukee Career Technical Center students within the Wexford Missaukee Intermediate School District.
The Fund provides scholarships to eligible students who are attending their first or second year of a certificate program, a two-year or four-year college/university in the State of Michigan.
Kelly Ann Garcia Scholarship for the Performing Arts Application – is available to CAPS Seniors majoring in voice training at an accredited college or university, and/or students entering their junior or senior year attending music camps, academies, or musical tours for vocal music training.
The Ardis/Lueder Northern Lower Michigan Endowed Scholarship Fund, supports a student in a recognized dental program at the School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan or the University of Detroit. Preference would be granted to a student who is from Wexford, Missaukee, or Osceola Counties. Qualified students in the post-graduate, fourth, and third-year program.
Send letter of why you have chosen dental school and your transcripts to cacf@cadillacfoundation.org
Deadline: July 15, 2023
The David A. Cook Memorial Scholarship Fund for Civil & Environmental Engineering student at Michigan State University. Any currently enrolled, second year or higher, civil & environmental engineering student at Michigan State University.
Send letter of of why you have chosen Civil & Environmental Engineering and your transcript to cacf@cadillacfoundation.org
Deadline for scholarships is July 15, 2023
2022 Youth Advisory Committee Needs Assessment Results: Click here
Veterans Fund of Wexford and Missaukee Counties accepts applications for Emergency Needs all year long. Click Guidelines and application information or by calling the Foundation offices at 231-775-9911.
Youth Grant Applications are accepted from September through May. Click Guidelines and an application.
CACF Trustee Grant Applications cycle deadlines: February 28, June 30, & October 31. Click Guidelines and application.
Cadillac Area Men’s Giving Circle
Cadillac Area Women’s Giving Circle
You can view all of our Grant Making and Scholarship Deadlines by clicking on the “Deadlines” Tab at the top of this page.
Executive Director’s Blog
The National Standards Seal by our name indicates official confirmation from the Council on Foundations that we have met the most rigorous standards in philanthropy. It affirms our commitment to financial security, transparency and accountability. It says our grantmaking includes an open, competitive process designed to address the changing needs of our community. The National Standards Seal also confirms our history of honoring donors’ wishes.
February 2020
Focusing on what really matters.
At the end of January the Cadillac Area Community Foundation (CACF), CACF Youth Advisory Committee, the Missaukee Area Community Foundation (MACF), and MACF Youth Advisory Committee partnered to help fund a student program. The program, presented by national speaker Tony Hoffman, covered his battles with anxiety, depression, drug addiction, and mental health. On January 29th over 1000 students from 7 schools heard Tony Hoffman’s inspirational message of overcoming his struggles with homelessness, suicidal thoughts, drug addiction, bad choices, going to prison; and then turning his life around and participating in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as a coach.
Many of the issues raised by Tony Hoffman in his program were also brought to light in a recent survey of area youth undertaken by the CACF Youth Advisory Committee. A total of 617 Cadillac Area Public Schools (CAPS) students participated in the surveying that took place in January 2020.
33% (270) of CAPS students in grades 9-12 participated in the survey. These survey participants feel that the top issues currently affecting them are stress from school (91.1%), mental health (75.3%), and stress from friends (54.4%). The survey also revealed substance abuse that included vaping ( 73.1%), marijuana use (15%), and alcohol abuse (9.6%).
73% (347) CAPS students in the 7& 8 grade responded to the same survey. They revealed that stress from school (80.5%), stress from friends (44.1%), and mental health issues (41.4%) are already a concern to them in the lower grades. Substances most abused by these survey participants included vaping (89.2%), marijuana use (38.5%), and alcohol use (26.2%).
These numbers are alarming! So where do we go from here? Read more
January 2020
Investing in People is investing in the Future. That is the Key to Success for Non-Profit Organizations!
An organization’s success lies in the professionalism, compassion, vision, competence, and expertise of the people within the organization.
Nonprofit work is known to be mission-driven. Often achievement comes with pushing yourself and your team to its limit.
In the non-profit world, the roles and responsibilities of those that work for the non-profit often entail much more than any job description; rather it becomes a way of life. The folks who dedicate their lives to the mission often become the very symbol of the organizations focus.
Similar to the for-profit world of dollars and cents, working in nonprofits means being able to explain with a “business-minded” focus exactly what a donor’s return on investment looks like in terms of impact and change. Being transparent, knowledgeable, and passionate about the mission are skills every nonprofit leader needs because donors want to see their investments grow for the purpose of their own personal charitable cause(s). Read more
December 2019
The holidays are my favorite time of year as we all take time to give more to others and reflect on everything for which we are thankful.
As I reflect on 2019, the Cadillac Area Community Foundation is proud to have played a part in a number of activities that have led to positive results in our community.
Read more
November 2019
Plan Your Year End Giving
November is flying by and 2020 will be here before we know it. As you check off items from your end-of-the-year checklist, don’t forget that Dec. 31 is the last day to make charitable contributions in order to receive a tax receipt for the 2019 fiscal year.
Read more
October 2019
What it means to be a Blue Zones Community
Blue Zones are specific areas, across the world, where the residents enjoy the happiest, healthiest, and longest lives. Their immediate environment supports their lifestyle choices and well-being.
At its most basic, the Blue Zones Project is a community well-being improvement initiative designed to change the way people experience the world around them. Because healthier environments naturally nudge people toward healthier choices, the Blue Zones Project focuses on influencing the area close to home in which people spend 90 percent of their lives. That area and that environment dictates how easy it is to make healthy choices, or how difficult. By improving where we live, work, learn, and play, we make it easier to get up and move, eat healthy, make new friends, find a reason for being — and live longer, better.
The Blue Zones Project brings the entire community together; local residents, worksites, human services & non-profit organizations, your Community Foundation, healthcare professionals, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and local government; to inspire this community movement that has the power to improve the quality of life for everyone. Blue Zones uses scientifically proven lessons of longevity, health, and happiness to boost the well-being of an entire community. Read more
September 2019
Teaching Our Youth to be Charitable
September is back to school month for many homes, and the student led CACF Youth Advisory Committee is excited for another year of grant-making and volunteering in the Community.
Experts believe that no age is too young to introduce giving to your children. Teaching our youth to be charitable can be rewarding. Learning about giving and helping others gives our youth a feeling of empowerment in an uncertain world where unexpected and sometimes frightening events happen too often.
For the past 3 years, I have had the privilege of being an adult advisor to the CACF Youth Advisory Committee. Whether it is reviewing grant applications or working at a Celebrity Servers Nights at Culver’s, I found our Youth members are ready and willing to make an impact in our community.
Our Youth Advisory Committee students range from 8th grade to 12th grade. Their mission is to meet the needs of the youth of the Cadillac Area by enhancing the awareness of opportunities, dedicating themselves to service projects, and providing information and resources through cooperative leadership and financial support for projects that improve the community. Read more