Are you a business owner, or representative, looking for an impactful charitable outlet that will benefit residents in the Cascade area? If so, Cascade Community Foundation’s Annual Partner program may be a great fit for your charitable giving. Right now, CCF is offering several recognition and acknowledgment opportunities for local businesses – big and small – eager to contribute hyper-locally.
“Since 2001 we’ve prided ourselves on being the eyes and ears for those who want to make a difference right here in our home community,” said Justin Swan, Director of CCF. “One of our primary roles is to serve businesses and families by identifying local needs and vetting local nonprofits which make charitable giving easier and more impactful.”
One of the Foundation’s commitments in 2022 is to engage small and medium size businesses who rely heavily on local consumers. As part of that effort, CCF is greatly incentivizing their “recognition” and “acknowledgement” benefits offered in each Annual Partner Level through a matching gift afforded through the Joyce & Thomas Wisner Fund, doubling total giving up to $10,000.
The Foundation’s Annual Partner levels range from $500 to $25,000 offering a wide range of benefits rich with marketing, social media, event sponsor opportunities and more, each explicitly designed to recognize and acknowledge businesses who care about investing into the local community.
“We’re managed and governed by individuals who understand small business, so it’s no wonder that we’ve packed our Annual Partner program with powerful resources that help them engage our residents,” added Swan. “And our residents appreciate businesses that give back, especially hyper-locally.”
Dollars raised from CCF’s Annual Partners program combined with the $10,000 matching grant will directly benefit programming resources including the Foundation’s annual survey, and the Q&A Livestream series. Working in unison, the survey helps the Foundation’s grants committee identify urgent needs which are amplified through the Q&A – an online video series that shines a spotlight on often-avoid subject matter along with premiere educational content.
“You wouldn’t know it from driving through our neighborhoods, but there is a tremendous amount of underserved needs across Forest Hills,” said Swan. “Mental illness. Teen suicide. A shocking lack of basic financial literacy. Addiction…. These are all topics we’ve amplified through local testimonies.”
Moreover, due to proceeds garnered from the Wisner Fund, the Foundation will begin isolating grants specific to solving these topics by supporting area nonprofits delivering resources to the Cascade and surrounding communities.
“The Foundation’s grantmaking is so unique because it enables us to partner directly with other nonprofits to address problems identified through our survey,” said Cascade resident Jennifer Puplava, a member of CCF’s Executive Committee, and Chairperson of the Township’s DDA board. “That’s a level of impact that local businesses appreciate because it drives local dollars back to local needs identified by the community itself.”
CCF’s Annual Partners program launched in 2020 and continues to underwrite new programming offered by the Foundation. To become an annual partner contact CCF at (616) 499-2060 or click here to check out the 2022 Annual Partner program packet.
