BCCF Celebrates National Community Foundation Week!

The Branch County Community Foundation is joining communities across the country, November 12-18, 2025, to celebrate the powerful impact community foundations have in bringing people together and building brighter futures for all.

For more than a century, philanthropic institutions have served as a trusted partner and resource whose effect can be seen in the lives of millions and in the vibrant neighborhoods that continue to thrive through their mission-driven work. During this annual celebration, community foundations convene to share and reflect on the stories of impact from their recent work.

“Community foundations have the reach, expertise, and relationships to address some of the most pressing issues impacting individuals and families nationwide,” said Erica Heminger, Executive Director of the Branch County Community Foundation, “We are more determined than ever to collaborate with partners to deliver the innovative and lasting solutions that will help our communities to thrive.”

Community foundations are independent, public entities that steward philanthropic resources from institutional and individual donors to local nonprofits and represent one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy. After a year of educating and researching the key areas seeing needs in Branch County and Colon, at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, the Board of the Branch County Community Foundation selected four main priority areas to focus on - Improving Childcare Access, Offering English Language Learning Supports, Accelerating Workforce. Just in the last year the Branch County Community Foundation:

• Invested $388,000  in grants and scholarships across Branch County and Colon, meeting diverse needs and creating opportunities for growth.

• Provided $107,000 in scholarships awarded, double what we were able to grant last year, helping local students pursue their dreams through higher education.

• Granted Over $24,000 specifically from the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), empowering young people and organizations that serve our youth to make change in their schools and neighborhoods. This year YAC funded two pilot programs that address key early education needs, including weekend food access and music therapy for school readiness.

• Continued support for local nonprofits through the Branch County Community Network and Local Planning Body, fostering collaboration, resource-sharing, and innovation.

As community foundations find solutions for communities large and small, urban and rural – it is the collective work of these organizations that will have the most profound impact. Community Foundation Week was created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush to recognize the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community problems.

Anybody who is interested in learning more about the Branch County Community Foundation is encouraged to contact the office at 517-278-4517, via email at Info@BrCoFoundation.org, or stopping by the office at 2 W. Chicago Street Suite E1 in Downtown Coldwater.