Community Foundation for Oceana County

What Community Foundation for Oceana County does

The Community Foundation for Oceana County (OCF) is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in Pentwater, Michigan, founded in 1989 as part of a W.K. Kellogg Foundation initiative seeding community foundations across Michigan. It manages a $24,022,800 portfolio of 212+ charitable funds and operates a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single product: competitive Community Grants (656 grants paid in 2025 totaling $3,843,615), a scholarship program offering 60+ awards, and supporting initiatives including the Youth Advisory Council (45 high-school representatives), Complete Your Degree adult-learner support, the Leadership Learning Lab, Read Early. Read Often. literacy, the Oceana Lakeshore Employer Resource Network, and countywide Community Assessments.

OCF generates revenue through recurring annual administrative fees of 1.0–2% on managed funds and 2–4% fiscal-sponsorship fees, alongside donor contributions that were reported at $4,742,192 across 162 new donors in 2025. Its underlying technology is a third-party Akoyago platform powering godonate.akoyago.com (donor flows), gofund.akoyago.com (fundholder portal), and goapply2.akoyago.com (scholarship applications), with SSL Class 3 encryption for secure transactions. The foundation serves five primary segments: Oceana County nonprofits, students and adult learners, individual/family donors, professional advisors (attorneys/CPAs/financial planners), and nonprofit/community leaders, distributed through a mix of newsletters, social media, community events, partner referrals, and direct grantmaking.

In 2019 OCF separated from a 30-year affiliation with the Community Foundation for Muskegon County and now operates under its own Board of Trustees; it has held National Standards accreditation from the Community Foundations National Standards Board since 2023.

Name

Community Foundation for Oceana County

Legal name

Community Foundation for Oceana County

Website

https://oceanafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation for Oceana County is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity based in Pentwater, Michigan, managing $24M+ across 212 charitable funds, distributing grants and scholarships, and running youth, literacy, adult-learner, and leadership programs for Oceana County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund administration
• Grantmaking programs
• Scholarship administration
• Community philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Pentwater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Administrative Fees on Charitable Funds: The foundation generates revenue through annual administrative fees charged on charitable funds it manages, ranging from 1.0% to 2% depending on fund type. Fiscal sponsorship fees range from 2-4%. These fees support overall foundation operations. As of 2025, the foundation oversees over 200 charitable funds created by individuals, families, companies, and organizations.
2. Donor Contributions and Gifts: The foundation receives charitable contributions and gifts from donors which are then invested for growth and used to make grants that benefit the community. In 2025, Total Gifts/Grants Received was $4,742,192 from 162 new donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation for Oceana County is a community foundation that manages charitable funds, makes grants to nonprofit organizations, awards scholarships to students, and operates community programs serving Oceana County, Michigan. It oversees more than 200 charitable funds on behalf of donors, disburses grants and scholarships through competitive cycles, and runs targeted initiatives in education, workforce development, youth engagement, and early literacy.

Product overview

The Community Foundation for Oceana County operates as a philanthropic organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single software product. The core offerings center on grantmaking (Community Grants, Teacher Mini-Grants) and scholarship distribution (Community Scholarships). Supporting these, the foundation provides fund administration services managing over 200 charitable funds. The product ecosystem includes educational advancement programs (Complete Your Degree, Oceana College Access Network), leadership development (Leadership Learning Lab), early literacy (Read early. Read often.), youth engagement (Youth Advisory Council), workforce support (Employer Resource Network), and community research (Community Assessments). These programs work together to address the foundation's mission of enhancing lives through philanthropy across education, community development, health, and the arts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Grants Competitive grant program providing funding to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations serving Oceana County, with two annual grant rounds in Spring and Fall, deadlines of March 31 and August 31, and grants typically up to $5,000.
• Community Scholarships Scholarship program offering over 60 different scholarship opportunities for high school seniors, current college students, graduate students, and returning adults pursuing higher education or vocational training, with funds sent directly to schools.
• Fund Administration Services Comprehensive fund management services including unrestricted funds, designated funds, donor advised funds, committee advised funds, field of interest funds, organization endowment funds, community project funds, and Build A Fund options, with professional investment management and administrative support.
• Complete Your Degree (CYD) Adult learner support program that covers remaining tuition costs after federal, state, and other scholarship resources at Baker College, Muskegon Community College, or West Shore Community College, plus life needs funding and Success Coach access.
• Leadership Learning Lab Year-long professional development cohort program for nonprofit and community leaders featuring monthly workshops, small group discussions, and peer support, hosted regionally at the Lakeshore Resource Center in Ludington.
• Read early. Read often. (RERO) Early literacy initiative launched in 2016 that distributes free books across Oceana County through community events, Literacy Corners, and Little Free Libraries, partnering with local libraries, childcare providers, and healthcare offices.
• Oceana College Access Network (OCAN) Network of education partners working since 2013 to build a culture of post-secondary education awareness, access, and attainment through programs including Students in the Workplace, College Fair, College Application Day, and campus visits.
• Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Youth-as-grantmakers initiative involving 45 student representatives from Oceana County schools who help set policy and guide distribution of over $20,000 annually in grants to youth-related projects.
• Oceana Lakeshore Employer Resource Network (ERN) Network of local employers providing onsite confidential Success Coaching and Bridge Loan programs to employees, with strategic partners including Michigan Career Technical Institute and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services.
• Teacher Mini-Grants Grant program providing funding to teachers for classroom projects and educational initiatives in Oceana County schools.
• Community Assessments Comprehensive community assessment program conducted in Shelby (2018), Pentwater (2019), Hesperia (2021), and Walkerville areas to identify local priorities and guide economic development initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 656 grants totaling $3,843,615 paid in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, historical and core.

• The Right PlacesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborated with OCF and Oceana County Economic Alliance to conduct the community assessment in Hesperia area.
• Pentwater Vision TeamsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Led the community assessment completed in the Pentwater area in June 2019.
• Community Foundation for Muskegon CountyhistoricalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019OCF was an affiliate of this foundation for 30 years until 2019, when it became an independent community foundation.
• Rotary CharitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Facilitates the Leadership Learning Lab, a regional professional development program for nonprofit and community leaders. OCF participates as one of ten northern Michigan community foundations in this partnership, with leaders meeting at the Lakeshore Resource Center in Ludington.
• Ten Northern Michigan Community FoundationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaborative partnership of ten northern Michigan community foundations that developed the Leadership Learning Lab to support capacity building among local nonprofits.
• Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Selected OCF to participate in its Rural Economic Development Cohort initiative, providing expert guidance and framework for community assessments in Shelby, Pentwater, Hesperia, and Walkerville areas.
• CEDAM (Community Economic Development Association of Michigan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Provides community assessment consulting services, analyzing and summarizing community feedback to compile comprehensive reports guiding future action for Shelby, Pentwater, Hesperia, and Walkerville areas.
• Oceana Lakeshore Employer Resource Network (ERN) PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Network of employers (Arbre Farms, Country Dairy, Oceana County Medical Care, Michigan Freezepack, Peterson Farms, Shelby State Bank) and strategic partners (ERN-Michigan, MI Works! West Central, Oceana Hispanic Center, United Way of the Lakeshore-Oceana) working to support workforce success through on-site success coaching and the Bridge Loan program.
• Michigan Career Technical Institute (MCTI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnered to establish the first-ever food processing registered apprenticeship program with the Department of Labor, helping fill skilled labor needs in Oceana County and providing career-laddering opportunities.
• Michigan Department of Health & Human ServicessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Strategic partner in the Employer Resource Network supporting workforce development and community economic independence.
• Shelby State BanksupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Services the Bridge Loan program for the Employer Resource Network at supportive interest rates, helping clients access fair lending for auto repairs, credit repair, and other financial needs.
• Mason-Lake-Oceana Great Start CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016RERO partners with the Great Start Collaborative to bring meaningful literacy resources and support to families across Oceana County, working to ensure every child has access to early reading skills development.
• Oceana Hispanic CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Strategic partner in the Employer Resource Network and provides the bilingual success coach for the network. Also a founding partner in the OCAN education network.
• Lakeshore Resource CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Hosts monthly Leadership Learning Lab sessions for leaders from Oceana, Mason, and Manistee counties.
• Oceana College Access Network (OCAN/Oceana CAN!)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013OCF acts as fiscal partner and provides leadership for OCAN, a network of education partners working to build a culture of post-secondary education awareness, access, and attainment in Oceana County. OCAN coordinates college access initiatives including Students in the Workplace, College & Career Fair, College Application Day, FAFSA workshops, and campus visits.
• West Shore Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college for the Complete Your Degree program, supporting adult learners in Oceana County pursuing degrees and credentials.
• Muskegon Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college for the Complete Your Degree program, supporting adult learners in Oceana County pursuing degrees and credentials.
• Baker CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college for the Complete Your Degree program, supporting adult learners in Oceana County pursuing degrees and credentials.
• Michigan College Access NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides grants, technical assistance, and resources to support the Oceana College Access Network's work on college access and completion.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Electric Forest Charitable Fund: Festival-founded charitable fund that channels annual contributions through OCF; an ecosystem donor rather than a direct competitor but a relevant comparable for non-traditional corporate/festival-aligned philanthropy.

Direct peers

• Community Foundation for Muskegon County: Former parent affiliate of OCF for 30 years and direct geographic peer operating as a community foundation in the same west Michigan region; highly comparable mission, fund-management model, and donor base.
• Mason County Community Foundation: Adjacent west-Michigan community foundation also operating in rural lakeshore geography; one of the 10 northern MI foundations participating in the Leadership Learning Lab partnership.
• Grand Haven Area Community Foundation: Neighboring west-Michigan community foundation serving Ottawa County with a similar grantmaking, scholarship, and fund-administration model for a lakeshore community of comparable size and demographic profile.
• Rotary Charities of Traverse City: Northern Michigan community foundation and direct partner on the Leadership Learning Lab; comparable regional community foundation model with shared program IP.
• Frey Foundation: Co-funder of the Leadership Learning Lab and a Michigan-based private foundation; comparable as a regional philanthropic grantmaker partnering with community foundations across northern Michigan.

Broad incumbents

• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: Founding philanthropic partner of OCF (seeded the YAC model in 1989); comparable as the largest Michigan-aligned foundation and an ecosystem participant in community-development grantmaking.
• Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo: Larger-scale community foundation with the same asset-based, fund-management operating model; useful comparable for understanding scale economics and program breadth at a bigger footprint.
• Council of Michigan Foundations: Statewide membership and capacity-building association for Michigan community foundations; comparable as a peer in the same ecosystem that OCF both learns from and contributes to.

Regional players

• Michigan College Access Network: Statewide network that funds and supports OCAN; comparable as a Michigan-only education-access convener partnering with local foundations on the same college-completion mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oceanafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oceanafoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cffoc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation for Oceana County