Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation

For good. For ever.

306 South University Avenue Mount Pleasant, MI, 48858 United States

(989) 773-7322

Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Isabella County, now and for generations to come, by attracting and holding permanent endowed funds from a wide range of donors, addressing needs through grant making and providing leadership on key community issues.

Join YAC

Thank you for your interest in serving on the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). Our YAC was started in 1992, and a $125,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in 1993 seeded the Kellogg Youth Fund.

Our goals for the YAC are twofold: to help MPACF address the needs of youth through grants to local programs and projects that serve young people, and to support youth as leaders in our region. YAC members learn about philanthropy, volunteerism, and community leadership.

Our traditional recruitment process happens in the spring and is led by our governance committee and the graduating members of the YAC. In an effort to maintain a balanced ratio of representation between the county schools, we rely on outgoing seniors to work with school leadership to identify 1-3 candidates, within their school district, for their open position on the YAC. This helps us ensure that the candidates have spoken directly with school leadership as well as the outgoing YAC member to make sure they know the commitment and responsibilities of being involved in the YAC. We still consider outside applications but it is less frequent.

Participation in the YAC includes:

  • Attending monthly meetings to plan, make decisions, and participate in leadership development training;

  • Reviewing grant proposals from organizations that benefit young people in our area and making recommendations to the MPACF Board to award $30,000+ annually;

  • Fundraising for the KelloggYouth Fund;

  • Volunteering for service opportunities to broaden our perspectives on the needs of our county's youth;

  • Participating in state-wide leadership training opportunities, such as the Council of Michigan Foundations' Youth Grantmakers Summer Leadership Conference; and

  • Conducting a youth needs assessment every 2-3 years to understand where resources are lacking or where programming can effectively impact youth in Isabella County.

The participation of well-rounded and thoughtful committee members enables the Youth Advisory Committee to make a positive impact on Isabella County. Committee members learn a great deal about the needs in our community and have the opportunity to serve as a catalyst for a better future.

We hope you will consider applying to serve on our Youth Advisory Committee. Should you have any questions, please contact YAC Advisor, Emma Powell.