Petoskey-harbor Springs Area Community Foundation

What Petoskey-harbor Springs Area Community Foundation does

The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation (PHSACF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation established in 1992 and headquartered in Petoskey, Michigan. It serves as the primary place-based philanthropic intermediary for Emmet County, managing donor-advised funds, field-of-interest funds, scholarship funds, and planned giving vehicles — most notably the John S. Clark Legacy Society, which holds 27 funds with a current asset value exceeding $14.6 million. Since inception the Foundation has distributed over $34 million in grants and more than $1 million in scholarships across its twice-yearly responsive grant cycles.

Its core programs include community and youth grants, discretionary grants, the Emmet Housing Solutions Fund, the Essential Needs Fund, Little Traverse Bay Protection and Restoration Fund, and Environmental Education Grants, alongside the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) — a student philanthropy program that has engaged nearly 200 teens since 1994 and awarded approximately $1.45 million in youth-focused grants. The Foundation's strategic initiatives now span housing, child care, local food, and clean energy, with material direct investments including the Lofts at Lumber Square 60-unit workforce housing development (purchased May 2022) and an impact investment commitment of up to $1 million to InvestMitt Cooperative in 2024.

The Foundation does not sell products or services. Its revenue model is donation-driven: donor contributions to endowed funds generate investment income, a portion of which is returned to the community through responsive grant cycles, while planned giving and legacy gifts build permanent charitable capital. Distribution is handled through self-serve online portals (grantinterface.com, fcsuite.com) for grants, scholarships, and fund management. The organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors, with grant recommendations reviewed by a community Grant Distribution Committee and the YAC, and is led by Executive Director David "DJ" Jones. It holds the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations certification.

Name

Petoskey-harbor Springs Area Community Foundation

Legal name

Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation

Website

https://phsacf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation established in 1992 that manages charitable funds, grants, and scholarships to serve nonprofits, educational institutions, and residents of Emmet County, Michigan.

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

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Community grantmaking
• Charitable fund management
• Scholarship programs
• Donor advised funds
• Planned giving services

Headquarters

HQ city

Petoskey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions to Endowed Funds: Gifts from donors contribute to endowed funds held at the Community Foundation. Investment income earned from these funds is returned to the community through responsive grant cycles.
2. Planned Giving / Legacy Gifts: Charitable-minded individuals leave planned giving legacies through the John S. Clark Legacy Society, with 27 funds currently managing over $14.6 million in assets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable foundation that manages endowed and donor-advised funds and redistributes charitable capital through twice-yearly responsive grant cycles to nonprofits, educational institutions, and municipalities in Emmet County, Michigan. It also administers a multi-fund scholarship program, runs the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) for student-led grantmaking, recognizes planned gifts through the John S. Clark Legacy Society, and develops workforce housing through the Lofts at Lumber Square project.

Product overview

The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation operates as a place-based grantmaking organization offering multiple fund types and programs. Core offerings include: Community and Youth Grants, Discretionary Grants, Emmet Housing Solutions Fund, Little Traverse Bay Protection and Restoration Fund Grants, and Environmental Education Grants. The Foundation manages approximately 49 scholarship funds for students and operates the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) for student philanthropy. It also supports workforce housing through Lofts at Lumber Square and recognizes planned giving through the John S. Clark Legacy Society. Over $34 million in grants has been distributed since inception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Grants Program Twice-yearly responsive grant cycles awarding unrestricted grants to nonprofits, educational institutions, and municipalities in Emmet County for programs, projects, capacity building, and capital improvements. Includes Discretionary Grants directed by the board for emerging community needs.
• Scholarship Program Scholarship awards for Emmet County students pursuing higher education at community colleges, universities, and trade/vocational programs. The foundation administers approximately 49 scholarship funds and has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships since 1994.
• Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) Youth philanthropy program engaging 20-25 student leaders in grades 8-12 from across Emmet County who review grant proposals and recommend funding for youth-serving organizations. The YAC has awarded approximately $1.45 million in youth-focused grants since 1994.
• Donor Advised Funds
• Field of Interest Funds
• Emmet Housing Solutions Fund Grant program established in 2019 to address workforce and affordable housing barriers in Emmet County, supporting partners such as Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity and the Little Traverse Bay Housing Partnership.
• Little Traverse Bay Protection and Restoration Fund
• Lofts at Lumber Square Workforce Housing 60-unit workforce housing development at 900 Emmet Street in Petoskey, Michigan, developed in partnership with Haan Development of Harbor Springs and Northern Homes Community Development Corporation to provide attainable housing for middle-income households.
• John S. Clark Legacy Society

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $34 million in grants distributed since inception in 1992
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Venture North Funding and DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to administer the Regional Resiliency Program for small business grants in Emmet County. Community Foundation provided $15,000+ in funding to support COVID-19 recovery grants to small businesses with nine or fewer employees. Program distributed grants of up to $5,000 each to 12-16 Emmet County businesses.
• North Central Michigan CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the NCMC Child Care Initiative to develop sustainable child care solutions for Emmet County. Community Foundation awarded $50,000 grant to support yearlong research project providing evidence-based plan for child care system.
• Northwest Michigan Habitat for HumanitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership to build affordable homes in Emmet County. Community Foundation provided $120,000 short-term zero-interest loan and $20,000 Emmet Housing Solutions Fund grant for home builds in Oden and Alanson.
• Little Traverse Bay Housing PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder partnership actively working toward housing solutions addressing workforce housing challenges, high rents, seasonal work, and rising building costs in Emmet County.
• Haan Development of Harbor SpringsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Lofts at Lumber Square workforce housing project. Haan Development advancing the 60-apartment development on property preserved for workforce housing by the Community Foundation.
• Northern Homes Community Development CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Lofts at Lumber Square workforce housing project in Petoskey.
• Tip of the Mitt Watershed CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing environmental partner managing Little Traverse Bay Protection and Restoration Fund grants. Received multiple grants for watershed planning and green stormwater infrastructure projects.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Frey Foundation: Grand Rapids-based private foundation focused on Michigan community development. Comparable as a regional institutional funder that has partnered with PHSACF on COVID relief and represents a typical upstream financial partner.
• Council of Michigan Foundations: Sector membership association for Michigan grantmakers including community foundations. Comparable as the umbrella organization that provides PHSACF with sector benchmarking, training, and policy support.
• Consumers Energy Foundation: Corporate foundation that seeded the Regional Resiliency Program with a $200K grant to PHSACF. Comparable as a corporate-foundation funding source and as a partner in Michigan community development.

Direct peers

• Rotary Charities of Traverse City: Northern Michigan community foundation focused on philanthropy, community impact, and convening around regional issues. Directly comparable in place-based grantmaking model and Northern Michigan service area.
• Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation: A nearby Northern Michigan community foundation serving Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, and Kalkaska counties with grantmaking, scholarship, and donor-advised fund programs. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and regional focus.
• Charlevoix County Community Foundation: Neighboring community foundation serving Charlevoix County with a nearly identical model of community grants, scholarships, donor funds, and youth philanthropy — directly comparable in size and Northern Michigan geographic focus.
• Community Foundation of Greater Flint: Michigan community foundation offering similar grantmaking, scholarship, and donor fund services. Comparable as a state-level peer with overlapping donor and grantee networks.
• Kalamazoo Community Foundation: Mid-sized Michigan community foundation managing multiple grant programs, scholarships, and donor-advised funds. Comparable in core operating model, though materially larger in AUM, providing a useful scale benchmark.
• Huron Valley Community Foundation: Michigan-based community foundation serving a multi-county region with grantmaking, scholarships, and donor-advised funds. Directly comparable in operating model and rural/small-city community foundation scale.

Broad incumbents

• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations, headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, with a statewide focus on children, families, and community. Comparable as a Michigan-based institutional partner/funding source, though orders of magnitude larger in AUM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phsacf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Petoskey-harbor Springs Area Community Foundation