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Putting the FUN in CrowdFUNd!

 In 2019, Midland Young Professionals (MyPros), a program of the Midland Business Alliance, launched their first MyPros Community Crowdfund. The goal was simple – if the business participating in the crowdfund could raise at least $10,000, they would receive an additional $10,000 in matching funds. The $10,000 in matching funds from the Midland Business Alliance originated as a gift from the Midland Area Community Foundation’s Impact Investing Committee. This gift from the Community Foundation to the Business Alliance represents the Foundation’s support of the Alliance’s goal to support one of Midland’s four focus areas, “Building our Livelihood.”

The first business that benefited from the MyPros Community Crowdfund was Pizza Baker. Since then, three other businesses have been beneficiaries – Aviator Cookie Company, Aster, and Grove Tea Lounge. On May 5, 2023, MyPros launched two more crowdfunds to run congruently – Three Bridges Distillery & Taproom and Nor’East Outdoors. The Community Foundation’s Impact Investing Committee approved a gift of $40,000 to the Business Alliance to further support their mission. With this more significant gift, MyPros launched the crowdfund promising a 2:1 matching contribution instead of a 1:1 matching contribution. If each participating business can secure at least $10,000 in community contributions, they will receive an additional $20,000 in matching funds. To learn more about these crowdfunding campaigns or contribute, please visit Three Bridges’ campaign at www.patronicity.com/threebridges or Nor’East’s campaign at www.patronicity.com/noreastoutdoors. 

Together We're Making a

Difference

We granted$9,537,280to Midland area nonprofits in 2021.
We are home to700+active funds that benefit our community.
Since 1975, we have awarded$7,580,235in scholarships to local students.
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Explore Our Focus Areas
1973

The Foundation is founded

1978

First scholarships are awarded

1981

Tridge opens

1987

Santa House constructed

1993

Pere-Marquette Rail Trail opens

1999

Trilogy Skate Park opens

2017

STEM playground opens at Central Park Elementary School

1973

The Foundation is founded

On October 2, 1973, twenty-five Midland leaders and volunteers came together to establish the Midland Area Community Foundation. Described as “by the people, for the people,” MACF grew out of the belief that everyone can positively impact their community through philanthropic giving.

illustration of The Foundation is founded
1978

First scholarships are awarded

These first scholarships included $2,460 in Interlochen scholarships and $500 for a Northwood student. Today the Midland Area Community Foundation awards almost $500,000 in scholarships each year!

illustration of First scholarships are awarded
1981

Tridge opens

The Tridge fund drive was completed with $367,641 raised through community gifts to match $366,000 from the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation. The Tridge was completed on October 4, 1981.

illustration of Tridge opens
1987

Santa House constructed

Santa spends each winter at Midland's Santa House, one of the city's most notable landmarks. The house is also home to the world-renowned Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School. The Santa House is made possible by a fund held by the Midland Area Community Foundation.

illustration of Santa House constructed
1993

Pere-Marquette Rail Trail opens

The rail trail allows bikers, runners, and walkers to enjoy beautiful 30 miles of natural beauty between Midland and Clare. The project was spearheaded by a Foundation fundraising campaign.

illustration of Pere-Marquette Rail Trail opens
1999

Trilogy Skate Park opens

The Foundation led the campaign to build a skate park in Chippewassee Park. The 15,000-square-foot facility offers outdoor fun for skateboarders, in-line skaters, and BMX bikers.

illustration of Trilogy Skate Park opens
2017

STEM playground opens at Central Park Elementary School

The playground features large maps of the world, a musical section with large percussion instruments, and an outdoor planetarium.

illustration of STEM playground opens at Central Park Elementary School

Mark Piotrowski & Jazz Benitez

It's ok to be scared; it's ok to be unsure, but don't let that fear stop you from creating. Maybe someone told us that we weren't good at it, or we compared ourselves to others, which is why we say we're not good at it. We put so much pressure on the idea of doing creative things because it might be a waste of time if you're not using it for financial means, but I think people should be allowed to create just for the sake of creating;  everybody is creative, and we all have creativity within us, and it's just about finding what that specific medium is that will be the best outlet for our artistic journey and expression. - Jazz Our daily experiences affect how we interpret the world and the people around us. We are constantly being shifted by our situations. When we encounter these moments, we are the same being, altered in a slight or monumental way. Sometimes, what we see, and experience isn't exactly what we think we have seen.  - Mark

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Erin Patrice

"I wanted to do more, but I needed funding. I was able to set up a project fund through the Midland Area Community Foundation. That was a great step because it allowed people to donate money to support the mission but under the umbrella of an organization they already trusted."

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Pizza Baker

"When we were getting ready to open the shop, they [MyPros] approached us and asked if we'd be interested in applying for a program they were putting together to raise funds for a local start-up business. And so, we completed the application and were awarded the crowdfunding program's beneficiaries. It was launched at Wake Up Midland on a Friday morning in April [2019], and the crowdfunding campaign was supported. The campaign was supposed to run for up to 30 days, and then if we raised $10,000 from the community, the Midland Business Alliance [via a grant from the Community Foundation] would match with $10,000, but the community responded in less than a week! We were over the $10,000! It was an overwhelming donation, and we were awarded that money plus the match. This gift allowed us to buy equipment that wasn't in the budget. Mainly, our dough mixer is an Italian spiral dough mixer that gives our pizza dough the texture it has. We were also able to purchase outdoor furniture. These things really helped the business get jumpstarted."

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Mary Neely

If I had anything to say to people looking forward to the next 50 years of the Midland Area Community Foundation, it would be to get acquainted with the current President and CEO, Sharon Mortensen. She’s doing a marvelous job, isn’t she? She just set it on fire; she really has. She has a broad perspective of the community and what’s going on. You can tell she loves it and that people love to work with her, and that’s just a wonderful combination.

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Dick & Donna Dolinski

We also are very keen on going upstream. We want to go to the earliest possible place in someone's life and make the investment there. So, preschool fits perfectly there because it's really tough to start embedding concepts of learning as the child ages. It doesn't work that way. Fortunately, we both live by one word – service. We feel that we're here to serve others, not to serve ourselves. So, we're always looking for opportunities to provide service, whether it is with our time, our treasures, etc. This one just happened to be a bigger effort than what we'd ever imagined it could be. We have to give Sharon a lot of credit for the preschool scholarship. Without her idea, we'd still be plodding along. We spent four years getting doors closed on us, and she had the breakthrough idea of endowing a scholarship at the front end of the curve instead of on the other end where everybody else does it. It's so self-evident after the fact. Yet, we're so acculturated to post-secondary scholarships that nobody ever thought of preschools, but she did.

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Umbareen Jamil

"What I hope is that the dominant culture in Midland will internalize the mission of making Midland more inclusive and take it upon themselves to keep the ball moving forward. I feel the burden is too much on the minority groups to keep it going. As minorities, we can only do so much. Sometimes I feel tired, and I am only one person. Midland can be a very transient community. The Muslims in Midland are constantly moving in and out. My husband and I are one of Midland's most tenured Muslim families; we've only been here 20 years. I would hate to see the Muslim community shrink in Midland and have Midland forget to teach their kids about who Muslims are, what they believe, and what they do. I want our majority culture in Midland to take it upon themselves and say, "this is important to us." We need to continue to support the vision of the Midland Area Culture Awareness Coalition."

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Marcie Post

Marcie shares, “I've been [in Midland] for 15 years and done many great things here. But [it was]  Karen Murphy who encouraged me to use my loss experience as a catalyst to bring something special to our community. She said, ‘We're gonna do this; you're gonna take it and go,’  and that's what we did. We partnered with the Strosacker Foundation, Midland Area Community Foundation, and so many more foundations and friends in our community to make Miracle Field a reality.  There are no resources like this anywhere in Northern Michigan. The closest Miracle Field is Bridgeport, and Southwest of us is Delta Township in Lansing. And so we have kids joining us from all over to enjoy this offering.”  Her excitement and pride at the accomplishment of this Miracle Field beam through in her enthusiasm.

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Bill Gibson

"And a lot of communities don't have something like the Midland Area Community Foundation, organizations who are able to help with projects like these, and we're totally blessed. Once completed, the Pere-Marquette Rail Trail became an excellent way to be able to link the communities! Plus, you can use the corridors for bicycling, for transportation, and I get a smile on my face whenever I see somebody go down in a motorized wheelchair. That is so cool because it's an opportunity for them to get out and to feel free."

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Jim Malek

"I think that’s perhaps the only reason why they considered me a philanthropist. I was able to get involved and meet so many people in so many ways, from maple syrup at the Nature Center to help at Delta College and Northwood University.  As a home brewer, I decided to become a partner and start a brewery, so I’m part owner of Tri-City Brewing.  I was on the Board of Directors for the Red Cross for a term, and because I enjoy riding my bike, I was also on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Peré Marquette Rail Trail. There are so many opportunities to connect with our community in a way I was most comfortable, behind the scenes.  I can do things I am interested in and make a little difference.”

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Amelia Hatfield

"I initially joined the Youth Action Council because my dad described the group to me back in middle school as being ‘kind of like Shark Tank’: kids pitch their ideas and request money to accomplish them. I thought that was interesting, but I didn’t join because I didn’t know anyone on the committee. But then I was at cross country practice one day and heard one of my friends talking about being involved in the Council, and that’s what got me to join. After I joined, I found myself looking up to the Council’s officers—it was cool to see young people in leadership roles. I wanted to be a role model for future kids, and that became something I wanted to take on."

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Craig McDonald

“Many things led to where I am today, but with the Community Foundation, my first interaction was with applying for a scholarship when I was in high school at Dow High.  I received an anonymous donor scholarship from the Midland Area Community Foundation, which helped me immensely.” “I had to pay for my own schooling, and it was $1,000, which back then paid for more than a semester, which is amazing, and books as well,” Craig says with laughter. “And so it was this incredible gift to me. I’d been saving for college, knowing I’d pay for it myself. But it was massive and helped me to get started and be the first person in my family to get a four-year degree. I remember Esther Gerstacker shaking my hand at the ceremony that I attended with my mom. From this experience, mentorship from Esther, and how my mom and grandfather lived with a philosophy of helping other people, a whole new avenue opened up for me. I went to college and, after graduating, returned to Midland to work for the Dow family. Around that time, Mr. Dow passed, and Mrs. Dow and her family began considering what would happen to this building long-term.” -Craig McDonald

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Joe Kozuch

As an active community partner, the Midland Area Community Foundation and its donors put energy behind beloved Midland traditions like the Midland Soccer Club. With endowment funds supporting the Club held at the Midland Area Community Foundation, the Club has the ability to advance its mission now – and in the future. "Soccer means a lot to my family because of what it has given us. My daughter played soccer all the way through high school, which, along with her academics, helped her get into West Point. It's a difficult admission process, only accepting 1,200 kids a year, so it's a big deal. Incredibly, during her time at West Point, there were also four other students from Midland Public Schools there at the same time. Along with the Midland Soccer Club, Midland Public Schools prepared my daughter well for college, and today she's a Major in the Army, teaches ROTC at Cornell, and will ultimately get her doctorate. She learned, she got an education, and she's had a career."

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Karen Murphy

"The partnerships between philanthropic efforts of community members made possible by Midland Area Community Foundation and public services like Parks and Recreation are significant and vital to understand. Everyone is invited to participate and can engage in very simple ways. As the director of Public Services for the City of Midland, I have worked with the Community Foundation to seek grant support to build community assets - to create places where people can engage in creating or expanding their community experience. Smaller grants to put signage at City Forest, larger grants for Chippewassee Trail expansion, and the Grove promenade. Grants to support larger community initiatives like Miracle Field and Poseyville Riverfront restoration. I've partnered with the Foundation on the Fun Zone renovation - funding component plus volunteer engagement. And I'm an active member of the Access to Community Committee at the Foundation."

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Linneaus Dorman

The essence of a community foundation is everyday community members coming together to make a difference in their own backyard. Your Foundation believes anyone can be a philanthropist through a dedication of time, talent, or treasure. Very few embody Midland Area Community Foundation's spirit like Dr. Linneaus (Lin) Dorman, who has been a member of the Community Foundation for all but five years of its existence. Dr. Dorman has been a Midland Area Community Foundation member since 1978 when he joined the Grants Committee. Since joining, he served as Foundation Trustee, Board of Trustees Vice President, Grants Committee Chair, Executive Committee Member, and Investment Committee Member. Additionally, as he worked as the first African-American research chemist at Dow Chemical, he assisted in founding the Midland Area Cultural Awareness Coalition. Beyond his work in service to The Foundation, Dorman and his late wife, Phae Dorman, also formed their own Midland Believes Scholarship, The Dorman Family Midland Believes Scholarship Fund.

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Iris Mehler

"I dream of Midland being Inclusive Town, USA." "I want us to be known as a Small Town America that really did make an exceptional effort to include all people with all abilities and that we have not only the facilities to accommodate our own residents but to accommodate visitors and that we will be a destination for a wheelchair users and for people of all abilities who want to go on vacation. With so many resources and with so much education and the socio-economic power, we can do it because we placed a high priority on this. I have this hope and dream because of the people that I have interacted with so far; their deep level of emotional and personal involvement in what happens in the community allows me to literally see that vision coming to life."

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Bob Mass

Prologue: The Midland Area Community Foundation believes the best things happen when we work collaboratively with others to bring about change. In 2017 Bob Mass had an idea to enrich Midland County by adding a to-scale solar system along the Pere Marquette Rail Trail. Through the Midland Area Community Foundation, Bob connected with long-time Community Foundation donor Jim Malek and Midland County Parks and Recreation’s John Schmude. The Foundation was one of the proud funders of this project. Together with numerous other community partners, the incredible transformation of 5.6 miles of the Pere Marquette Rail Trail near Coleman became a reality.

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Frank Gerace

Prologue: On Sunday, October 4, 1981, the Tridge, Midland's defining landmark, was officially dedicated to the citizens of Midland. The introduction of the Tridge marked a triumphant moment in Midland's history - signifying the community's commitment to collaboration, long-term transformation, and beautification through local resources and initiative. The Midland Area Community Foundation opened a project fund and led community efforts to raise $366,000, earning a matching challenge grant from the Gerstacker Foundation. Although the Community Foundation wasn't the largest funder, this project displayed the Foundation's ability to cultivate the power of giving in our community. Frank Gerace was named the general contractor on the project. The ripple effects of the Tridge's construction can still be felt throughout Midland, exemplified by Frank Gerace's legacy and the Community Foundation's position as a community leader.

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Sharon Mortensen

“I think we need to be vulnerable, because if we're really going to create community change, you have to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable means that you can't have it all figured out. We have to be open to the input of others. At the end of the day, I have one perspective: mine. That's pretty narrow. But to create a better community, you need everyone’s perspective. If you don't have an openness and vulnerability, how are you ever going to listen? People are going to tell you things that you don't do well, and you have to be willing to listen to them, try it on, and to say, ‘You know, they're right about this.’” – Sharon Mortensen, President and CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation

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