Picture of First Scholarship and Grant Awards in 1997. First Grant Awarded by Phil Ott, BCCF President, to Dorothy Pollack of the Red Cross of the Western UP. (provided photo)

The Baraga County Community Foundation is celebrating 25 years of incorporation in 2019 and 25 years of Grant Making in the year 2020!

A community foundation is designed to enhance community living through its grant making and resources capabilities and is operated mainly through volunteer efforts and supported by community donations. Since its incorporation in July of 1994, the Baraga County Community Foundation (BCCF) has helped to bring more than $460,000 in funding into Baraga County.

Through its fundraising, grant making, grant writing, and resources, your local community foundation has been working hard to improve the quality of life for you and for your children, and for your grandchildren. The BCCF has funded more than $500,000 to programs and educational advancement in Baraga County, including over $124,000 in scholarships to area students attending statewide Colleges and Universities, $100,000 in youth development programs, and over $275,000 in direct grants supporting community projects and programs.

The BCCF has provided funding for Baraga County emergency training and equipment. It has provided for basketball, football, hockey, figure skating, gymnastics, skiing, tennis, weight training, and athletic sports camps for area youth and improvements to fields and facilities. It has provided funding for student programs, field trips, after school activities, classroom supplies, health clinics and fairs, reading materials, special education programs, and pre-school education support.

The BCCF has also funded the Scouting programs, multi-cultural and cultural heritage programs, cross country ski trail development, historical research, preservation and development, handicap accessibility, health and fitness programs, including family health fairs. It has provided funding support for programs, living improvements, transportation, and necessary supplies for our area Elders. The BCCF has supported through funding the Aura Jamboree, Bells on the Bay, and the KBIC Pow Wow. It has supported area Band and Music programs, playground improvements and community Development. The BCCF has provided funding to St. Vincent De Paul’s, all of our area schools, the Baraga County 4-H, Baraga County Trout Festival, Baraga County Fair, animal rescue and wildlife fisheries, community grief support, domestic violence survivors support, vocational classroom education, and many other programs. The BCCF has also brought many Assembly Speakers to the area schools throughout the years to support and uplift students and to help provide them with direction, and its Youth Advisory Committee has performed community service projects assisting the elderly and disabled, targeting community needs, and supported suffering Veterans.

The impact of BCCF funding to our community has been directed towards youth health, education, and development, scholarships for post-high school education, cultural and arts access, education, and preservation, school and classroom support, community health and development, Seniors health and wellbeing programs, community emergency support services, athletics and sports programs, anti-poverty initiatives, holistic wellbeing, and environmental sustainability.

If you would like more information on the Baraga County Community Foundation, or would like to set up a Fund or make a donation, please call 906-353-7898, or contact us at baragacf@up.net.