If you haven’t heard of the Lapeer County Community Foundation (LCCF), they should be on your radar. This foundation, driven by a mission to lead and support initiatives that impact the quality of life in Lapeer County, is working to connect and empower philanthropy, residents, and local government in meaningful ways that strengthen the spirit of collaboration across the region.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with LCCF Executive Director Nancy Boxey to learn more about the creative ways the Community Foundation is working with local governments— from placemaking grants to relationship building—to empower local residents and municipalities to build bridges with philanthropy through partnership and place-based projects.

Community Foundations Love Local
Often, a community foundation is the first point of contact an individual or local government has with the world of philanthropy, and arguably it’s one of the most important. Community foundations are unique in that they are established by the local community for the local community with funding coming primarily from local donors. However, above and beyond funding, community foundations serve critical roles as connectors, convenors, and relationship builders, helping to weave together many different sectors within a place or region.

For Boxey, this social role of community connection and trust building is at the heart of the LCCF’s mission. Through all their work—from endowments and funds to scholarships and grants—LCCF puts listening first as a core tenant of community engagement and understanding community wants and needs. All of the incredible stories Boxey told me during our conversation centered around this fundamental practice of listening and putting community first. She further emphasized that the community foundation serves as a non-partisan, non-biased organization that individuals, government, and organizations alike can trust.

In practice, this means that LCCF serves important intermediary functions across the region, including the administration of municipally focused endowments, such as the Lapeer Courthouse Restoration Fund and the City of Lapeer Community Enhancement Fund; providing initial funding to drive community informed county and regional visioning through the I-69 International Trade Corridor Next Michigan Development Corporation (NMDC); and participating in regional development workgroups, such as the Statewide Housing Plan: Region H Workgroup and the Regional Childcare Workgroup for the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC). Because of their unique position as a trusted regional organization, LCCF has opportunities to lift up community voice at the state and county levels.

While these large-scale collaborations are incredibly important, what struck me most were the “small moments” Boxey recounted—moments where local communities felt seen, where first time grant applicants were empowered, and where the scaffolding for strong local collaboration was being built. From my perspective, these moments were anything but small; they were defining what strong partnerships at the local level can look like.

Celebrating Local Placemaking
In 2021, LCCF celebrated their 25th anniversary by giving the communities they serve an opportunity to fund projects that celebrated the places and people they represented. By setting aside a budget of $25,000, LCCF was able to award $2,800 placemaking grants to nine villages and cities within the county. Unlike standard grant processes that start with an open application and then wait for communities or organizations to apply, LCCF granted proactively, awarding small grants to villages and cities and encouraging them to dream up projects that represented their communities preemptive of an application process. To inspire innovation, the grants were flexible to support locally meaningful placemaking. The results were an array of projects, including the restoration of a historical museum in Otter Lake, wayfinding signs in North Branch, and a flagpole and community notice board in the Village of Clifford.

I was impressed by the innovative initiative LCCF took to prioritize placemaking in their region by proactively awarding grants unilaterally to all the villages and cities within their purview, but it was the personal dedication of the LCCF staff striving to connect with each of these communities that really shined as a model that both philanthropy and municipal government can emulate. At the outset of this initiative, LCCF staff took time to attend village and city council meetings and community convenings in each of the communities being awarded a placemaking grant. The goal was simple: to put a face to the LCCF, connect with local governments, and strengthen the relationships between the communities and the foundation. For local governments who too often find their village and city halls empty of audience on council meeting nights, the presence of a local partner showing up and extending an invitation to collaborate towards common goals is deeply impactful.

This small, personal act of showing up and making a connection face-to-face is something that cannot be overvalued. This granting initiative created an opportunity for LCCF and the nine grantee communities to get better acquainted with one another’s goals, visions, and resources. More importantly, it built trust and made these communities, especially the small or rural, feel recognized and worth investing in. Boxey emphasized that the door at LCCF is likewise always open to individuals, local organizations, and local governments; “The community foundation should be the first place you call,” she said, reiterating that a community foundation exists to support and benefit the community, and even if the foundation can’t support directly with funding, they can always help connect communities with resources and organizations who can.

The Value of Relationship Building
In 2020, amidst the global pandemic, a young Lapeer County man raised thousands of dollars to update and improve a playground in pursuit of an Eagle Scout Award. The Scout initially faced many challenges fundraising because he did not have an affiliation with a 501c3 or another entity that could hold the grants and crowdfunding he was rapidly raising. Boxey recalled when the Scout came to LCCF seeking support for the project and the “a ha” moment that followed.

“He needed a fiduciary,” she said, “and I thought, why not the County [of Lapeer]? It was a win-win scenario: the young man got a fiduciary to hold the funds and the County got a wonderful park.” LCCF reached out to Lapeer County and helped connect the Scout, and the project moved forward with great success raising funds and resources from across the region. The playground at General Squire Park now features all new equipment and ADA accessibility, making it a beautiful space for local children to play.

As Boxey and I reflected on the impact of that moment and all the others we had delved into—when philanthropy, residents, and local government came together to ensure the success of a public project—several things stood out. First, small amounts of funding can make large impacts if a community is invested and comes together to make a vision a reality. Second, partnerships between local government and philanthropy don’t always take the form of grant giving and receiving; often the most impactful partnerships are when they can work together to support a common goal for the community at large through relationship building and community engagement. Third, philanthropy can help build bridges for youth to engage with government in a positive way, hopefully inspiring young individuals to become more civically engaged or even pursue civic roles in their community.

Boxey started our conversation with, “We’re in the relationship building business,” and nothing could have been a more accurate portrayal of the role of philanthropy within community. LCCF sets the example for how philanthropy can be good stewards of community through the relationships they nurture, build, and convene. They prioritize having strong, open-door relationships with residents and local governments; fund and support locally meaningful work that drives education, economic development, parks and recreation, and health and well-being; create platforms for community engagement in local projects and statewide endeavors; and, ultimately, bring people together, foster trust, and celebrate belonging.

 

Learn more and support the Lapeer County Community Foundation here.

 

Grace A. Carey, PhD is a program officer at the MML Foundation with a background in anthropology and Program Learning & Impact Mapping.