NIAGARA HIGH SCHOOL senior Jayda Otto harvests lettuce for the school’s Badger Backpack program from the indoor tower gardens established at the Niagara, Wis., school. The district received a donation for the garden from the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Youth Advisory Committee in 2018. (Niagara School District photo)

This is part of a series of articles on the Dickinson Area Community Foundation, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Dickinson Area Community Foundation has a number of endowments created to support causes people care about, be they animals, the environment, hunger or homelessness.

“If someone is passionate about something, we can help you secure the future for your passion,” said Tamara Juul, the community foundation’s executive director.

Non-profit groups can have endowments through DACF called agency funds — from which they automatically receive funding each year without having to apply for a grant — as a way to ensure their longevity. Examples of agency funds include for the Salvation Army and Almost Home Animal Shelter.

Still, many non-profits do not have a designated endowment fund and could benefit greatly from one being established.

Another type of endowment is a Field of Interest Fund, such as the Hunger Fund and the Homeless Prevention Fund. Local non-profits can apply each year for money from those funds. For example, the environmental fund will have $2,150 available in 2021. Past recipients have been the John Muir Nature Trail in Norway and the Fumee Lake National Area.

The Dickinson County Hospital Foundation also holds several funds with DACF to ensure their work at the hospital continues for generations to come.

Committees are currently meeting to decide 2021 grants and the amounts that will be provided from these specific funds.

The minimum to start an endowment fund is $15,000, Juul explained, because lower amounts don’t produce enough interest going forward. “Our endowment funds are meant to generate enough money for the long term,” she said.

The DACF is willing, however, to work with people or groups looking to start an endowment that don’t have enough money.

When Juul first got the job with the foundation, she didn’t understand what an endowment was, she said. She used to make a yearly donation to the animal shelter but now puts half the donation into the endowment fund.

“It will continue to grow and earn interest, where it will support that agency that I care about so much. I want to make sure it’s there in 10, 20, 50 years, because that’s what an endowment is. It’s like a safety net,” Juul said.

“In my dream world, we would have an endowment fund for every non-profit in town because it would ensure their security and their longevity and that they would be around for the next generation,” she added.

Working with their affiliates in Norway and Crystal Falls, the DACF also oversees three Youth Advisory Committees, or YACs, first created when the foundation began 25 years ago.

“What’s really exciting about the YACs is it’s eighth grade through high school and they’re in charge of those endowment funds. The students review the applications, discuss and debate and look at the viability of the application. They take their job seriously and most years there are big decisions to make, as there are more requests than funds available to award,” Juul said.

“They go through their budgets and they may have $40,000 in grant applications but only $22,000 to award. They may decide they really like a project but what could they eliminate so they could still do the project while supporting as many projects as the funds will allow,” Juul said.

“It’s really an exciting process for kids to understand what an endowment fund is — money that has been put away and invested — and now they are awarding the fruition from somebody’s ideas and investments,” she said. “I really love listening to the YAC kids when they do their evaluation discussion because they’re passionate.”

Iron Mountain-Kingsford’s YAC, with second-year advisor Kaye Miziniak, has $27,000 to donate this year.

“That’s a lot of money for our youth to make sound decisions,” Juul noted.

One of her favorite grants awarded was $9,800 in 2018 to the Niagara Public Schools for indoor tower gardens. This project grows food indoors and send some home with kids for the weekend as part of their Badger Backpack program.

“It was a huge grant. Those kids at IM-K decided that it was important to them. I’ve never been more proud of those kids and their decision,” Juul said.

Norway has $3,195 available this year. “Their endowment fund is a little bit small,” she noted, “but that doesn’t mean it isn’t having a big impact.”

Norway’s YAC is a very active group led by Perry Beyer, who has been the advisor since 2007.

“She’s extremely active with those kids, so she teaches them all about what philanthropy is about. She does a hands-on job with those kids,” Juul said.

In 2019, they won a state award for their Color Our School Pink campaign that raises money for the Dickinson County Cancer Unit Loan Closet in Kingsford.

“It’s not that hard to inspire or motivate the kids to create projects that give back to the community,” Beyer said. “They all basically have good intentions. They just need a little help finding the right people to talk to or getting permission for a project.”

Beyer said that each year all the YACs attend the annual Youth Asset Summit at Bay College and they learn about the 40 developmental assets of students in the area.

But COVID-19 restrictions this year have curtailed normal fundraising, volunteering and activities. They were unable to do their fundraiser for the cancer loan closet. They were disappointed they couldn’t donate, but also because it brings cancer awareness to the school, Beyer said.

“We try to limit contact with students between the three school buildings, so that limits what can be done or where anyone can go,” she said.

Debbie Smithson oversees the Crystal Falls YAC, which has $15,955 to donate. Crystal Falls has given lot of money to the city’s Little League program for field improvements, something Juul believes made a big impact on the community.

DACF manages $11.5 million in assets and endowment funds that generate money in the form of grants and scholarships.

This year has been difficult for fundraising due to COVID-19. To make a donation, go to the Dickinson Area Community Foundation’s Facebook page, the website at www.dickinsonareacommunityfoundation.org or call 906-774-3131. Donations can be mailed as well to 333 S. Stephenson Ave., Suite 204, Iron Mountain, MI 49801. Donations are tax exempt and donors will receive a receipt.