The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation is a public charity whose mission is to enrich the quality of life in Washtenaw County. Residents established the Foundation in 1963 to host permanent charitable funds that benefit our County. Since then, the Foundation has utilized ongoing community input to distribute over $50 million in grants and scholarships. We partner with donors and nonprofits to strengthen our community now and for the future.
Today we are the largest foundation in Washtenaw County, thanks to the generosity of donors spanning six decades. New leadership in 2015 leveraged our rich history in order to accelerate AAACF’s growth and impact. Since then, AAACF has increased its assets by over 70% and was identified as one of the 20 fastest growing community foundations nationally between 2015-17 and named by Crain’s Detroit as the fastest growing foundation in southeast MI in 2016. AAACF has developed a range of initiatives that have been benchmarked by community foundations throughout the state, region, and nation.
Legacy is at our core as Washtenaw County’s only dedicated organization for permanent community capital, also known as endowment, for the Ann Arbor Area. From the very beginning, endowment growth and legacy have been hand in hand. The first named fund for the Community Foundation, named to recognize its status as the organization’s first major gift was from a bequest, the James & Clarice Foster Fund.
You can be confident that, as a charitable venue for your estate, the Foundation continues to become stronger and to increase its impact in the community! Today, our assets stand at $135 million, the largest in our history, and in 2018, we awarded a record amount in the community for grants and scholarships: $7.5 million! The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for all residents of Washtenaw County in perpetuity.
