Community Foundation of Marquette County

What Community Foundation of Marquette County does

The Community Foundation of Marquette County (CFMC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 1988 and headquartered at 228 W. Washington St. in Marquette, Michigan. It operates as a philanthropic intermediary serving Marquette County, managing approximately $30 million in total community foundation assets and administering over 65 scholarship funds that distribute more than $130,000 annually to students across Gwinn, Ishpeming, Marquette, Negaunee, Westwood, and other area schools. Since inception, the foundation has awarded more than $17 million in grants and scholarships through Community Impact Grants, Basic Needs Grants, donor-advised funds, field-of-interest funds, and designated funds. The foundation coordinates five local affiliate funds (Negaunee Area Community Fund, Greater Ishpeming Area Fund, Marquette Area Community Fund, Gwinn Area Community Fund), a Youth Advisory Committee structure, and partnerships with area schools, tribal organizations, and regional nonprofits.

CFMC's go-to-market is community-led, relying on individual donors, businesses, professional advisors, and bequests to grow endowed funds that generate ongoing grantmaking capacity. Revenue mechanics center on donations and endowed fund management rather than fees for service; the foundation does not charge recipients for grants or scholarships and applies administrative fees only on fund management. Distribution occurs through competitive annual grant cycles, scholarship application processes routed through high schools, and self-serve online portals for both donors (gofund.akoyago.com) and grantees (goapply.akoyago.com), both powered by the third-party Akoyago platform. Marketing channels include the foundation's website, monthly email newsletters, a Facebook presence, an annual Community Catalyst Awards celebration, and earned media coverage of grantee stories.

The organization is small (9 employees) and leanly operated, governed by an independent Board of Trustees, and accredited under National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. Strategic initiatives beyond traditional grantmaking include the Childcare SPARK home-based childcare accelerator launched in 2025 (which created 30 new childcare slots in its first cohort), the Zacchaeus Fund for homelessness and recovery support, the Jumpstart a Heart AED campaign for law enforcement, the COVID-19 Community Response Fund established with United Way of Marquette County in 2020, and the long-running Community Environmental Monitoring Program conducted with Eagle Mine and the Superior Watershed Partnership.

Name

Community Foundation of Marquette County

Legal name

Community Foundation of Marquette County

Website

https://cfofmc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of Marquette County is a 1988-founded nonprofit community foundation managing approximately $30 million in assets to administer grants, scholarships, and donor-advised funds for Marquette County, Michigan residents, nonprofits, students, and tribal partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Charitable fund management
• Scholarship administration
• Nonprofit endowment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marquette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Endowed Funds: The foundation receives donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations to establish endowed funds that generate ongoing community impact. Donors can establish various fund types including donor advised funds, field of interest funds, and scholarship funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of Marquette County is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that manages charitable endowed funds and distributes grants and scholarships to support community programs in Marquette County, Michigan. It provides Community Impact Grants and Basic Needs Grants to nonprofits, administers over 65 scholarship funds for students, and offers fund establishment services (Donor Advised Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Scholarship Funds) for individual, family, and business donors. It also convenes community-leadership initiatives including Childcare SPARK and the COVID-19 Community Response Fund.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of Marquette County is a nonprofit organization that operates as a philanthropic platform managing charitable funds and grant programs for Marquette County, Michigan. The foundation offers multiple grant programs (Community Impact Grants, Basic Needs Grants), administers over 65 scholarship funds distributing over $130,000 annually, and provides fund management services including Donor Advised Funds, Field of Interest Funds, and Scholarship Funds. The organization operates online portals for donors (Donor Portal) and grantees (Grantee Portal) powered by Akoyago platforms. Key initiatives include Childcare SPARK (a 2025 childcare business accelerator), the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, and the Jumpstart a Heart AED campaign. Total community foundation assets are reported at $30 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Impact Grants
• Basic Needs Grants
• Scholarship Funds
• Donor Advised Funds
• Field of Interest Funds
• Donor-Established Scholarship Funds
• Childcare SPARK
• COVID-19 Community Response Fund
• Jumpstart a Heart AED Campaign
• Grantee Portal
• Donor Portal
• Zacchaeus Fund Grant Distribution

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $17 million in grants and scholarships awarded since 1988
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Way of Marquette CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2020Partnership for COVID-19 Community Response Fund established in March 2020 to support nonprofits responding to pandemic needs. Raised over $178,000 and distributed grants in multiple phases.
• Council of Michigan FoundationsminorOthersMembership organization committed to growing the impact of Michigan philanthropy through investing in charitable organizations, convening leaders, and sharing knowledge.
• Council on FoundationsminorOthersNational nonprofit membership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations, formed in 1949, with over 1,700 member foundations.
• Superior Watershed PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term environmental partnership including Great Lakes One Water initiative, Rain Garden Challenge, and Community Environmental Monitoring Program related to Eagle Mine operations.
• Eagle MinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP), established to conduct environmental monitoring related to mining operations. Over $3.6 million invested in monitoring.
• Keweenaw Bay Indian CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in environmental monitoring and protection initiatives, particularly related to Eagle Mine oversight.
• Lake Superior Community PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Childcare SPARK initiative, a home-based childcare business accelerator addressing critical childcare shortage in Marquette County.
• Marquette-Alger RESAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner in Childcare SPARK program, providing expertise and support for early childhood education initiatives.
• Great Start to QualityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Childcare SPARK program, providing quality standards expertise for early childhood education.
• Marquette County Law Enforcement Administrators Association (MCLEAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint effort on Jumpstart a Heart campaign to raise $81,454.50 to purchase new AED equipment for law enforcement units across the county.
• John D. Voelker FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to establish and administer the Native American Law School Scholarship Endowment Fund, honoring John D. Voelker's legacy.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kalamazoo Community Foundation: Long-established Michigan community foundation managing donor advised funds, field-of-interest funds, and scholarships for Kalamazoo County residents. Highly comparable in service mix (community impact grants, scholarships, special project initiatives) and accreditation status to CFMC.
• Traverse City Area Community Foundation: Northern Michigan community foundation offering grants, scholarships, and donor fund management across a multi-county region. Direct peer given geographic proximity in Michigan's Lower/Upper Peninsula and similar scope of local philanthropic services.
• Grand Rapids Community Foundation: Michigan-based community foundation that pools charitable funds, awards competitive grants, and administers scholarships to local nonprofits and students. Directly comparable structure, mission, and grantmaking model to CFMC, just operating in a larger urban county.
• Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan: Regional community foundation serving a multi-county area in northeastern Lower Michigan with grant cycles, scholarships, and donor services. Direct peer operating a similar rural-region model to CFMC.
• Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation: Michigan community foundation administering endowments, competitive grant cycles, and scholarship programs across Washtenaw County. Closely matches CFMC's product set of donor advised funds, field-of-interest funds, and scholarship funds with a more urban footprint.

Others

• Council on Foundations: National nonprofit membership association of over 1,700 grantmaking foundations (CFMC is associated). Comparable as a national peer infrastructure organization rather than a competitor foundation.
• Council of Michigan Foundations: Statewide membership association of Michigan foundations (CFMC is a member) that supports community philanthropy through convening, advocacy, and knowledge sharing. Comparable as ecosystem/industry-body rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Mott Foundation: Large Flint-based private foundation with broad grantmaking across Michigan and beyond, including prior support to CFMC's energy initiatives. Operates in the same Michigan philanthropic ecosystem at much greater scale as a broad incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cfofmc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-foundation-of-marquette-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of Marquette County