Arts

• Encourage quality arts programming benefiting a diverse audience
• Support arts education and programs for youth
• Improve access to cultural programs, especially for children and youth
• Promote financial stability and organizational development for arts organizations

Education

• Promote educational opportunities through post-secondary scholarships
• Find opportunities that can impact all public and private K-12 districts. Programs and projects serving multiple districts would receive greater consideration
• Support projects that encourage High School completion and success in school
• Promote educational opportunities for the unemployed, under-employed
• Support programs & projects that promote college (any post-secondary education & training) and career readiness

Health and Human Services

• Promote healthy lifestyles through education and prevention
• Improve access to quality health care for all residents
• Promote health programs and projects that increase the quality of health care available in Oceana County
• Support programs that encourage families to become self-sufficient
• Support programs targeted to the elderly and youth

Community Development

• Support projects that promote downtown development throughout Oceana County
• Support capital projects with county-wide impact and benefit
• Support capital renovation projects only if they provide new and expanded programming
• Support civic improvement and economic development efforts
• Support projects that improve the image and perception of the community, including projects that embrace racial diversity and inclusion
• Support programs that improves workforce development & talent creation

Emerging Community Needs

• We know our standard grant categories don’t cover all community needs. The Distribution Committee and dedicated grant committees address other important or emerging community issues when they arise and as we are able to respond. Just give us a call to discuss your emerging issue and we can brainstorm together.

Youth Focused Needs

When applying for youth focused grants, please keep in mind the priorities for youth funding come from our most recent Youth Needs Assessment. Below you will find the results from the assessment that will guide youth funding decisions:

Top issues affecting youth:

• Stress from schoolwork
• Vaping use
• Pressure to succeed
• Depression/Suicidal thoughts
• Lack of self-esteem
• Stress from family issues

Top five programs and activities youth think would be most helpful for these issues:

• Competitive sports
• After-school activities
• Outdoor recreation activities
• Arts, writing, or music-focused programs
• Homework assistance

Other Special Funding Areas

• Environment – support for environmentally oriented programs and projects
• Homelessness Prevention – support programs and projects that provide a local base of support for long-term commitment to homelessness prevention activities
• Parks – support programs and projects that beautify and enhance current and future parks
• Golden Township – support capital improvement projects within Golden Township
• Hesperia Area – support programs & projects in Hesperia village & township

For a list of recent grant awards, click here.