Marshall Community Foundation

What Marshall Community Foundation does

Marshall Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation established around 1970 and headquartered at 614 Homer Rd. in Marshall, Michigan. It stewards a Family of Funds comprising over 160 endowed and non-endowed funds and administers more than 75 scholarship funds, distributing $884,505 in grants and scholarships in the most recent reported year to non-profits, students, and educators across Marshall and Calhoun County. Core services include Grants Management, Scholarship Programs (with enrichment, adult-student, and named memorial scholarships), the unrestricted Fund for Marshall, Donor Advised Funds, Field of Interest Funds, and Planned Giving/Estate Planning services.

The Foundation operates with a lean paid staff of five led by Executive Director Shannon Tiernan, supported by 325+ volunteers who vet scholarship applications and conduct community outreach, and is governed by a 12-13 member Board of Trustees. It maintains National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations certification from the Council on Foundations, reflecting sector-recognized accountability. Historical milestones include establishment of the Fund for Marshall in 1985, organization of the Youth Advisory Council in 1991 via a W.K. Kellogg Foundation matching grant, and ongoing board expansion through 2025.

The Foundation does not sell products or services; its inflow consists of charitable contributions from individuals, families, and businesses, planned giving/estate gifts (bequests, charitable remainder/lead trusts, retirement assets, non-public securities, and tangible property), and investment returns on its permanent endowment. Outflows are grants to local non-profits (e.g., $232,728 across 21 awards in FY 2021-2022) and scholarships ($192,571 to 86 students and educators in 2022). Distribution is conducted through online grant and scholarship profile systems with committee review and Board approval.

Name

Marshall Community Foundation

Legal name

Marshall Community Foundation

Website

https://marshallcf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marshall Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation in Marshall, Michigan, stewarding 160+ endowed funds and 75+ scholarship funds to distribute grants and scholarships that support non-profits, students, and educators throughout Marshall and Calhoun County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund management
• Grant administration
• Scholarship programs
• Planned giving services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marshall

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Contributions: Receives donations from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations establishing charitable legacies through various fund types including Agency Funds, Donor Designated Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Donor Advised Funds, and Scholarship Funds. Manages over 160 endowed and non-endowed funds.
2. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Accepts bequests, retirement account assets, term life insurance policies, and works with donors on charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts. Some donors make gifts of specific illiquid assets including non-public securities, tangible property, life insurance policies, and art or historical items.
3. Grant Distribution: Distributes grants to local non-profits and scholarships to individuals. Made $884,505 impact last year through grants and scholarships. Over 75 scholarship funds administered.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Marshall Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that holds and manages permanently endowed funds from individual, family, and corporate donors. It distributes grants to local non-profits across Marshall and Calhoun County, administers more than 75 scholarship funds for students and educators, and provides planned giving and estate planning services (including bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and gifts of various assets) to help donors create lasting charitable legacies.

Product overview

The Marshall Community Foundation operates as a community foundation with a portfolio of charitable funds and giving programs. The core offerings include Grants Management (distributing funds to local non-profits), Scholarship Programs (administers over 75 scholarship funds), Fund for Marshall (the primary unrestricted endowed fund), Donor Advised Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Youth Advisory Council (a youth-led grant evaluation committee organized in 1991), and Planned Giving/Estate Planning services. The Foundation manages over 160 endowed and non-endowed funds serving Marshall and Calhoun County communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grants Management Program
• Scholarship Programs
• Fund for Marshall
• Donor Advised Funds
• Field of Interest Funds Funds that allow donors to identify a broad area of personal interest (e.g., arts, education, environment) in which to support. The foundation awards grants from these funds to area non-profit agencies and charitable programs whose needs reflect the fund's specific parameters.
• Planned Giving and Estate Planning Services Personalized planned giving services for donors establishing or contributing to funds. Accepts bequests, retirement account assets, term life insurance policies, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and gifts of various assets including non-public securities, tangible property, life insurance policies, and art or historical items. Offered with a personal approach and complimentary donor advisory services.
• Youth Advisory Council (YAC) A permanent standing committee of the Foundation comprised of Marshall-area high school students. YAC members evaluate grant applications concerning youth and make recommendations to the Foundation's Board of Trustees. Organized in 1991 with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• $884,505 distributed in grants and scholarships last year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kalamazoo Community Foundation: Larger Southwest Michigan community foundation with a much bigger asset base and broader regional reach. Comparable product suite (scholarships, grants, DAFs, planned giving) but at meaningfully greater scale; a primary alternative for donors in the Marshall orbit.
• Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan: Major regional community foundation with billions in assets and a full suite of donor services including DAFs and scholarships. Captures legacy gifts from across the region and represents a competitive threat for large planned gifts from Marshall-area donors.
• Grand Rapids Community Foundation: Large Michigan community foundation with a scholarship and grant administration model very similar to Marshall's, but operating at materially greater scale. Comparable in mission and product set; a regional incumbent competing for planned gifts from West Michigan.

Direct peers

• Battle Creek Community Foundation: Also a small-to-mid-sized Michigan community foundation serving Calhoun County and adjacent areas. Direct peer in mission, fund structure, scholarship administration, and donor base — overlapping geography creates both partnership and competition for donor dollars.
• Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation: Michigan-based community foundation offering scholarships, grants, DAFs, and planned giving in a similarly sized but wealthier market. Comparable operating model and product set; useful benchmark for governance, payout policy, and donor acquisition practices.
• Toledo Community Foundation: Mid-sized Midwest community foundation with a comparable product mix — endowed funds, scholarships, grants, DAFs, and agency funds — and similar small-staff operating structure. Direct comparable for scale, governance, and growth trajectory.
• Community Foundation of Greater Flint: Mid-Michigan community foundation of similar vintage and scale to Marshall, administering scholarship funds, DAFs, and competitive grants. Useful peer for benchmarking endowments, payout, and youth-engagement programs.

Emerging players

• Schwab Charitable: Major national DAF sponsor that competes for high-net-worth planned gifts and DAF accounts that might otherwise flow to community foundations like Marshall. Comparable product (DAF + grantmaking) but at much greater scale and lower friction.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Independent national DAF sponsor competing for charitable assets that could otherwise be donated to community foundations. Offers investing flexibility and a national nonprofit grant universe that local community foundations cannot match.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest national donor-advised fund sponsor. Competes with community foundations for local DAF dollars and planned gifts, particularly from donors seeking low-cost, professionally managed investment options and a broader nonprofit grantmaking universe.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marshall-community-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Marshall Community Foundation