January 1962
January 1964
1964
SACF launches a low-interest student loan program. These low-interest loans were made to area students after they have completed their first year at college. More than $450,000 was loaned to more than 100 area students to help finance the cost of their college education. Today, these student loan funds have been converted to SACF’s largest college scholarship fund.
January 1970
1970
The Kirsch family dissolved its family foundation and gave assets of $51,188 to the Sturgis Foundation along with an office building, which the Foundation owned until 1995.
January 1980
1980s
The 1980s were years of steady growth in assets from bequests such as the Cornelius Geimer estate, the Gladys Welty estate, and the Laura Schulte estate. By 1990, the assets of the Sturgis Foundation had reached $1,413,000.
January 1992
1992
SACF chaired the capital campaign for the Doyle Community Center. Foundation Vice President Leonard Eishen chaired the fundraising committee. Upon completion of the Doyle Community Center, the Sturgis Foundation turned the ownership of the building over to the City of Sturgis. The Foundation still holds the endowment for the Doyle Center and has permanent office space in the building.
Delores Schenk leaves her entire life savings to the Sturgis Area Community Foundation for the formation of a scholarship fund to help students with financial need.
January 1996
1996
SACF was awarded $250,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Michigan Community Foundation’s Youth Project. This money has been placed in a permanently endowed Youth Advisory Council Fund. Today, the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council serves as a leadership development program for local high school students with an endowment of nearly $1,000,000.
January 1997
1997
The Constantine Area Community Foundation became the first geographic affiliate fund of the Sturgis Foundation. White Pigeon followed with the establishment of the White Pigeon Area Community Foundation as an affiliate fund. Both geographic affiliates have grown since inception and continue to enhance the quality of life in their respective communities through grants, scholarships and support for community programs and projects.
January 2000
2000
By year 2000, the Foundation had experienced tremendous growth and held endowment funds for several local agencies including Sturgis Public Schools, Camp Fort Hill, the Sturgis Community Pool, and Sturgis Neighborhood Program.
January 2006
January 2014
January 2019
2019
The SACF endowment pool surpasses $25,000,000.
July 2020
2020
During COVID-19 Pandemic, SACF partnered with GT Independence to establish the Sturgis Community Emergency Hardship Fund. More than $130,000 in emergency hardship grants were delivered to local residents who were experiencing financial hardship due to workplace closures at the onset of the pandemic shutdowns.
January 2024
TODAY
Today, SACF is a $30M foundation with 155 philanthropic funds that return more than $1.1M to the community every year through grants and scholarships.