What began four years ago as a pilot project of the Dow Corning Foundation is today celebrating $1 million in giving in the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan (GLBR).
The Dow Corning Foundation Board of Trustees established the Donor Advised Funds in 2010 dedicating $50,000 to each of the community foundations in Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties.
The Dow Corning Foundation has since doubled its contribution to the funds held by each community foundation totaling $300,000 annually. These dollars support organizations in the areas of arts, recreation, education and human services.
“The Dow Corning Donor Advised funds have been a tremendous benefit to the community and the community foundations,” said Renee Johnston, president & CEO Saginaw Community Foundation (SCF). “This relationship has given SCF a strong model that is being used as best practice with other potential corporate partners.”
The Donor Advised Funds Committee is comprised of Dow Corning and Hemlock Semiconductor employees who work and live in the GLBR.
“The program was an immediate win-win for the region, the local community foundations, and our employees who provide recommendations regarding which projects should be supported,” said Kathryn Curtiss Spence, executive director of the Dow Corning Foundation. “Through this effort, we have established strong relationships with the Bay, Midland and Saginaw Community foundations. Their expertise has been invaluable in making the initiative a success.”
Since 2010, the DAF has contributed $1.05 million to projects in the GLBR including:
• Great Lakes Bay Youth Leadership Institute: provided funding for this important program targeting students from all of the high schools in the region. Students attend full-day sessions promoting diversity and leadership.
• Saginaw High FIRST Robotics Team: helped to underwrite start up costs for equipment and team formation.
• Bay City Players Stages of Discovery: support for the program, which offers age appropriate workshops in theater arts.
• Midland Northeast Little League: assisted in their efforts to construct three new little league fields.
•The Donor Advised Funds model has become a best practice for other Dow Corning sites around the U.S. including: Kendallville, Ind.; Elizabethtown, Ky.; and Greensboro, N.C. “Expanding this program beyond the GLBR increases our employees’ awareness of what is important to their community,” Spence said.