Since the 1970s, after the nation’s first Earth Day celebration, the Ecology Center and Recycle Ann Arbor have been working to promote a safe and healthy environment. Both organizations have grown since then, when Ann Arbor’s first curbside recycling program operated from the back of a pick-up truck.
In 2008, to support the philanthropic interests of the next generation, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation launched two giving circles – each a group of young professionals and friends who pool their gifts to support local community organizations in meaningful ways. The groups have since awarded more than $128,000 in grants and volunteered their time to support a range of local nonprofits, from Peace Neighborhood to the FLY Children’s Art Center.
For over 55 years, Catholic Social Services (CSS) of Washtenaw County has been working to fulfill its mission of "helping people live safe, meaningful and independent lives in a more just community." Since 1982, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation and its donors have awarded more than $1 million in grants to support the agency's key programs.
As the proprietors of a successful and beloved local art business, James and Clarice Foster were active in Ann Arbor civic affairs and community initiatives. When James died in 1949, Clarice established a private foundation to carry out her philanthropic goals while honoring her husband's memory. But she also developed a "keen interest" in the possibility of creating some kind of community foundation.
A life-long resident of Ann Arbor, Molly Dobson has supported a long and diverse list of local nonprofits for more than 60 years. Her generosity and leadership have helped launch many beloved local institutions – including the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.
In 1995 a survey of high school students by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation's Youth Council pointed to the need for a local teen center. Youth Council, in partnership with a group of local teens and parents, sparked a community-wide effort to open the Neutral Zone.
The Ann Arbor Summer Festival celebrates its 30th season this summer. The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation has supported the Festival from the beginning – including grants to support Top of the Park's move to Ingalls Mall and a community donations program that helps keep Top of the Park free and lively as ever.
Before she died in 1966, Phoebe set up a trust agreement which named the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation as a beneficiary. That gift established the first endowment for seniors, and continues to support programs that assist 'the aged, infirm and needy.'
In Washtenaw County, one in six adults can barely read or write. A $20,000 grant in 2010 helped Washtenaw Literacy - Michigan's oldest literacy organization - maintain its capacity to support volunteer literacy tutors who serve nearly 2,000 adults each year. Since 1971, trained volunteers have helped more than 20,000 adults learn to read.
Peter Dobson cared so deeply about environmental issues that he made sure his will included a gift to create an endowment to help protect and enhance the local ecosystem. Though he died at the young age of 21, Peter's passion for the environment lives on through the Peter Dobson Fund which has awarded more than $226,000 to support local environmental organizations.
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