News

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) recently awarded over $1 million in grants from the Glacier Hills Legacy Fund (GHLF) to support vulnerable seniors and their caregivers in Washtenaw County. The GHLF was established through the generosity of Ann Arbor's Glacier Hills Senior Living Community and Trinity Health Senior Communities of Livonia, MI.

AAACF and the Washtenaw Coordinated Funders are excited to be co-funding, in partnership with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, to bring the Catchafire platform to Washtenaw County!

The Ypsilanti Area Community Fund (YACF) welcomed a packed room at the Eagle Crest Clubhouse on November 19th to hear an update and exciting plans for continuing the “community voice” work begun this year. YACF is working toward their Impact Statement.

On November 13th, a group of past Aquademics champions gathered together to celebrate the establishment of the Aquademics Scholarship at AAACF to celebrate the lasting legacy of the program and to encourage the continued pursuit of academic excellence by local youth of color.

We are pleased to introduce the new Youth Council members who are joining the committee this academic year! They represent a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives across Washtenaw County, which are critical to the thoughtful decisions of the Youth Council. These local high school students oversee annual grants of $80,000+ and volunteer in the community.

In this issue read highlights of the Stern Legacy Celebration, learn about CultureMakers, and stay up to with year-end deadlines and reminder.

Although we have widely shared news of Helmut Stern’s amazing $16.2 million estate gift—the largest gift in AAACF’s history from an individual, Friday the 13th of September provided an auspicious opportunity to celebrate and share more of his background and lasting legacy with the community!

The 2019 CED "In Our Neighborhood" grant program is now open! There are countless groups and connections between individuals that together make up our community in Washtenaw County. These "neighborhoods" that we live in are both literal (defined by geography) and figurative - some of us might be members of "neighborhoods" that are based on our vocation or social identity. "Arts and Culture" form the connective tissue that makes these neighborhoods thrive, allowing us to access our individual creative spirit, meaningfully connect with others, support economic activity, and give voice to our many and diverse experiences.

The Senior Community Investment Officer leads key strategic grantmaking programs, oversees other ongoing grantmaking activities, and supports community leadership initiatives. Works with and supports the Vice President of Community Investment on the development, direction, and implementation of AAACF’s core grantmaking initiatives. Leads internally and externally with humility and a service-oriented mindset...

Where was an 18-inch diameter ball, perfectly spherical within 50 millionths of an inch for use in the Satellite Motion Simulator, used to acquaint astronauts with spacecraft control, produced? The gold standard for the tiny spherical ball used by Papermate was created and produced in the millions annually where? What corporation was ahead of the curve regarding reclamation and associated environmental concerns? What Ann Arbor company was among those that helped create Bell Telephone Systems' Telstar Satellite, which launched in 1962—and among other things transported the first television images through space?