community foundation of st clair county

What community foundation of st clair county does

The Community Foundation of St. Clair County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation headquartered in Port Huron, Michigan, operating since 1944 (originally incorporated as the Port Huron District Foundation on November 8, 1944). The Foundation manages charitable endowment funds, donor advised funds, scholarship programs, and grantmaking activities for St. Clair County and Michigan's Thumb Region. It maintains over $100 million in assets across hundreds of endowment funds and awards more than 1,000 grants annually totaling several million dollars.

The Foundation operates as a charitable giving platform with multiple fund types (donor advised funds, community funds, education/scholarship funds, organization funds, and agency endowment funds) supported by a staff led by President/CEO Randy Maiers and a Board of 25 elected Trustees. It also runs regional development programs including the Blue Water River Walk, Mission Related Investments, the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), the Knowlton Museum, Regional Trails Planning, the Women's Initiative, and a Disaster Response Fund. Through wholly-owned subsidiaries—Blue Water Land Fund, Community Renaissance Fund, and Thumb Coast Dream Makers Inc.—it pursues land conservation, community revitalization, and youth empowerment initiatives.

The Foundation's revenue model combines two streams: (1) recurring administrative fees of 1% to 2% levied on each endowment fund, plus dedicated Administrative Endowment Funds covering operating costs; and (2) charitable contributions from individuals, civic groups, businesses, and private foundations. Critically, it does not receive tax or government funding. Its go-to-market is community-led—engaging donors, professional advisors, nonprofits, and businesses across St. Clair County through grants programming, scholarship administration, the Big Give and 100 Men/100+ Women events, multi-channel digital presence, and strategic co-investment partnerships with entities like the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

Name

community foundation of st clair county

Legal name

Community Foundation of St. Clair County

Website

https://stclairfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of St. Clair County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit managing over $100 million in endowment assets and awarding 1,000+ grants annually to nonprofits, students, and community causes across St. Clair County, Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy & Endowment Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAB

Community Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAD

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYEDADAHAC

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

SECONDARYBPAGADAE

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPADAOAB

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Donor Coordination, Grantmaking & Development Finance Programs

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Endowment fund management
• Charitable grantmaking
• Donor advised funds
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Huron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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: Foundation operations are funded by an administrative fee ranging from 1% to 2% of each endowment fund. It also has specific Administrative Endowment Funds that help cover annual operating costs. The Foundation does not receive any tax or other government funding.
2. Charitable Donations: Gifts come to the Foundation from individuals, groups, civic organizations, businesses, and private foundations. Contributions in any amount are appreciated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of St. Clair County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation that manages charitable endowment funds, provides donor-advised and community fund giving vehicles, administers scholarship programs, and makes grants to nonprofit and community organizations. It manages over $100 million in assets across hundreds of endowment funds, awards more than 1,000 grants annually totaling several million dollars, and supports regional programs in the Michigan Thumb Region including St. Clair County.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of St. Clair County is a philanthropic services organization offering a platform of giving vehicles and programs. Its core services include Donor Advised Funds, Community Funds, and Education Funds that allow donors to direct charitable giving to causes they care about. The foundation operates a major Grants Program awarding over 1,000 grants annually and a Scholarships program supporting student success. Key programs include the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) for student philanthropy, the Blue Water River Walk for placemaking, the Knowlton Museum for cultural preservation, Mission Related Investments for economic development, Regional Trails Planning, Women's Initiative for collective giving, and a Disaster Response Fund for emergency relief. The foundation manages over $100 million in assets across hundreds of endowment funds, making it the largest grantmaking foundation in Michigan's Thumb Region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000+ grants awarded annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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 major, core and minor.

• Wrigley Center (Larry Jones and Brent Marshall)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2020$350,000 pledge to support redevelopment of former Art Van building into mixed-use residential and commercial gathering place. Project costs $13 million and creates 36 new condos with retail and public event space.
• Knowlton MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Knowlton family Private Foundation gifted all assets to the Community Foundation at end of 2020. The Foundation now carries Mickey and Agnes Knowlton's charitable legacy through a significant endowment fund and the Knowlton Museum in downtown Port Huron.
• Johnson Center for NonprofitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Johnson Center for nonprofit workshops to provide training and capacity building for local nonprofits.
• Blue Meets Green CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partner since 2009 working on regional priorities including Blue Water River Walk and trail system planning.
• St. Clair County Planning CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading regional effort with the Foundation and St. Clair County Parks & Recreation to map out and complete regional and state-wide trail systems.
• St. Clair County Parks & RecreationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with Foundation and County Planning Commission on regional trail planning initiatives.
• Enter Stage RightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre nonprofit established new endowment fund at the Foundation to ensure organizational sustainability and future growth.
• The KeelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to fund community correspondent position to tell stories of positive change and innovation in St. Clair County, providing diverse media voices.
• Marysville Rotary ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotary Club started a fund with the Foundation to expand giving opportunities. Working with Marysville Community Fund to increase local impact.
• Marysville Community FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanently endowed fund supporting special projects, programs and organizations in Marysville with committee of local residents deciding charitable uses.
• Lelito's Legacy FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonor advised fund at the Foundation providing $9,000 in Pay to Play Grants to support low income student athletes across 15 schools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grand Rapids Community Foundation: Michigan-based community foundation that manages endowed funds, awards grants, and runs scholarship programs across Kent County and the broader West Michigan region. Highly comparable to the St. Clair County foundation in structure, fund types, and community-led grantmaking approach.
• Huron County Community Foundation: Neighboring community foundation in Michigan's Thumb Region with an essentially identical operating model — endowed funds, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and regional grantmaking for a single county. Closest geographic and structural peer to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.
• Lapeer County Community Foundation: Michigan community foundation operating with the same single-county endowment, scholarship, and grantmaking structure. Comparable in mission, fund types, and donor-base profile to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.
• Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan: A Michigan-based community foundation managing charitable assets and awarding grants across a multi-county region. Directly comparable operating model (endowment management, donor-advised funds, scholarships, regional grantmaking) to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, with a similar community-led mission.
• Sanilac County Community Foundation: Thumb Region community foundation serving a single Michigan county with endowment management, scholarships, and grantmaking. Direct peer given the shared regional service area and similar rural community-foundation model.
• Kalamazoo Community Foundation: Michigan community foundation with a comparable mix of endowed funds, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and community grantmaking, including youth philanthropy programs. Directly comparable in scale and statewide peer set to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.
• Community Foundation of Greater Flint: Michigan community foundation managing endowment funds, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and place-based grantmaking across Genesee County. Comparable operating model and regional community foundation focus, with overlapping Thumb/eastern Michigan service area.

Others

• Council of Michigan Foundations: Industry association representing Michigan's community, private, and corporate foundations. Adjacent ecosystem participant that provides standards, advocacy, and capacity-building services to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County and its direct peers.
• Council on Foundations: National membership organization for philanthropic entities that has certified the Community Foundation of St. Clair County as meeting community foundation standards. Ecosystem/standards-setting peer rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: National donor-advised fund sponsor that competes for charitable dollars across the U.S. While not a community foundation, it offers an alternative giving vehicle that draws potential donors away from local community foundations like the St. Clair County foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/@GiveLocalMi
• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityFoundationSCC
• Instagraminstagram.com/scc_community_foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-foundation-of-st.-clair-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about community foundation of st clair county