News

AAACF’s Neel Hajra, who has been part of the Community Foundation for 11 years—the last 6 years as its chief executive officer (CEO), has just been announced by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (the Health Fund) as its new CEO. Neel was actively recruited for this rare opportunity to remain in his hometown of Ann Arbor while leading a large private foundation with a statewide service area.

We celebrate the summer season of traditions, celebrations, and transitions in this issue including: Trustee Transitions & Leadership, Audited Financials & Save the Date, CSP Graduates & Neel's Blog on Outcomes, Youth Council Graduates and 2021 Grants, Spring 2021 Grants: YACF, COVID-19, Arts, and Community, Volunteer Recognition: Norman Herbert, Buhr Foundation Celebration Video, and 2021 Young Citizens of the Year

This spring, nearly $500,000 in support was awarded through several grant programs: YACF, COVID-19 Relief, Arts & Culture, and Community Grantmaking. Check out recent grants in the online Grant Directory.

The EmpowerMENt Fund, seeded with $1M by an anonymous donor, supports efforts that uplift young Black males in Washtenaw County while promoting their educational success. The EmpowerMENt Fund recently made grants to Mentor2Youth and Washtenaw My Brother's Keeper (WMBK).

This spring, AAACF is sharing fresh ideas for Washtenaw County and a focus on the future during this season of blooming and renewal. In this issue learn about Forging New Paths: Impact Investing Blog by Jillian Rosen, Empowering Young Black Men: WMBK & Mentor2Youth Grants, The Value of Sharing Knowledge: The Free College Movement, and Buhr Foundation Transition Continues Philanthropy for Community.

James W. (Jim) and Marla J. Gousseff loved the Ypsilanti community where they had resided since 1963—deeply engaging during their lifetimes and leaving a lasting impact through a $1.8 million estate gift to the Ypsilanti Area Community Fund (YACF), the sole affiliate fund of AAACF, realized in December 2020.

Looking Back & Moving Forward , Gousseff Transformative Gift to Ypsilanti, WMBK's Documentary Premiere, AAACF Welcomes Dorcas Patterson!

A new year ushers in exciting developments at AAACF! 2021 will be filled with opportunities for youth in Washtenaw County and new ways for AAACF to connect with you virtually. Here are some announcements for beginning this year.

Early in the year, AAACF Board and Staff began planning for the creation of new core values for AAACF (existing values were approved in 2003) connected to embarking upon a new five-year strategic plan (our current strategic framework runs through December 2020). The pandemic actually intensified our pursuit of these endeavors, as we feel an even greater sense of responsibility to our community and to examine our work in context of a changed society.

When AAACF CEO Neel Hajra announced the new $250,000 investment in Michigan Women Forward to create a Washtenaw-specific initiative to provide loans and technical support to women-led businesses in Ypsilanti and rural communities during the Community Conversation, he also shared that this impact investment follows careful planning and responds to groundbreaking research.