Ben Selaty and fellow lifeguards at Imlay City’s Alvin Norlin Pool now have access to an automated external defibrillators purchased with grant dollars from Four County Community Foundation.
In the first half of 2026, Four County Community Foundation (4CCF) awarded more than $200,000 in grant requests to area nonprofit agencies, schools and other governmental units.
The awards represent a wide range in type, amount and geography across the Foundation’s service area in Lapeer, St. Clair, Oakland and Macomb counties.
“We’re grateful to the many volunteers who give of their time to thoroughly read every grant application and come to our committee meetings ready for thoughtful discussions about how our funds can best meet community needs,” said Kathy Dickens, 4CCF Executive Director, said.
Among the approved grant requests are those focused on the needs of our youngest residents. The Child Care Network received $10,000 for their efforts to strengthen the early childhood workforce in Lapeer and St. Clair counties with wage stipends. House of Hope Ministry’s Summer Youth Program is helping at-risk children in the Oxford area through mentorship, social emotional learning and more. They were awarded $8,800. Both recipients are new grantees.
Grant dollars will also support new and existing recreation opportunities in the area. The Village of Dryden was granted $30,000 to add pickleball and basketball courts plus a skate park at Cardinal Field while $5,000 from the Jane E. Bishop Memorial Fund will help the Charter Township of Oxford purchase and install equipment at Levi’s Link Park. A $4,326 grant from the Imlay City Community Fund allowed the Downtown Development Authority to purchase and install automated external defibrillators at the Alvin Norlin Pool and Community Center. The 4CCF’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) granted $5,000 to North Star Junior Sailing to help northern Macomb County youth attend a summer sailing camp.
Romeo High School’s $32,000 grant aims to achieve two goals—give Construction Trades students a hands-on learning experience while helping to preserve local history through the Thorington Schoolhouse Project. Grant dollars will be used to purchase building materials including wood flooring, cedar siding, paint and insulation for the restoration of the 1840 school building recently purchased and moved by Washington Township.
Among some of the most unique requests were Almont’s Orchard Primary School received a $3,000 Grant Tank award from YAC for their Raider Rescue Squad to partner with Marty’s Place, a local animal sanctuary. In addition to collecting food waste from their cafeteria for the animals, the student-led Raider Rescue Squad used the funds to pay for a field trip to Marty’s Place in Bruce Township and provide funding for each third grade class to complete a service project at the sanctuary.
Other grant awards from the first two cycles include:
- $4,050 from the Mental Health for a Better Tomorrow Fund to the Michigan Veteran Home of Chesterfield for the purchase of a Whisper Glide Swing
- $9,000 from the Four County Community Fund for the Lapeer Symphony Orchestra to purchase percussion instruments and sheet music
- $2,000 from the Alan and Nancy Parsch Family Fund for the Hospice Homes of Genesee and Lapeer Counties to conduct volunteer recruitment and training
Grant applications for the third quarter cycle of 2026 are due Wednesday, July 1 at 11:59 p.m. Looking ahead, October 1 is the deadline to submit fourth quarter requests. Learn more about the grant process at https://www.4ccf.org/grantees/ or call the Foundation at (810) 798-0909.
Four County Community Foundation is committed to serving the current and emerging needs of our local community. The foundation serves portions of Lapeer, St. Clair, Macomb and Oakland counties. To learn more about Four County Community Foundation, visit www.4ccf.org or call (810) 798-0909.