South Haven Area Community Foundation

For Good. For All.

See How Your Generosity Supported Their Futures

To date, roughly one hundred and twenty SHHS graduates have received scholarships since the initiation of the Awardspring application process through South Haven Area Community Foundation. Three of these scholarship winners have consented to tell their stories about how these scholarships helped them move forward.

Zachary Emenhizer – 2022 Jensen Family Scholarship South Haven Community Memorial Scholarship and Grace Calvin Scholarship
Zachary attended Ferris State University and earned an associate degree in Welding Technology. He completed two internships at John Deere and in the summer of 2025, he joined John Deere’s Robotics and Innovation Group where he contributed to the creation of robotic systems for implementation at Harvester Works. The scholarships from the South Haven Area Community Foundation, along with opportunities provided by South Haven High School and the community, enabled Zachary not only to persevere but to thrive as a young individual. He expresses gratitude for the support received throughout his academic career and hopes that future students will be able to benefit from similar opportunities. 
 
Katherine Hartmann – 2024 AAUW Luminary Award Recipient
Katherine attends Hope College and majors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The scholarship she received from AAUW allowed her to attend her Hope (her first choice in colleges and ranked #22 in undergraduate research) and enables her to be involved in biochemistry research. This has greatly impacted the quality of her education and has directed what she wants to do when she finishes her undergraduate degree. The AAUW scholarship allowed her to follow her passion into research and for that she is incredibly thankful.

Jessica Arvizu – 2022 AAUW Pathfinder Scholarship and Grace Calvin Scholarship Awardee
A first-generation college student, Jessica attends Michigan State University. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester, thus qualifying for the $1,500 AAUW SH Achievement Award her sophomore, junior and senior year, resulting in a total of $6,000 in scholarships from AAUW South Haven. Because of Jessica’s strong work ethic and stellar academic performance, she will graduate at the end of Fall Semester 2025 (a semester early). Jessica interns at the Lansing Refugee Development Center, working with refugee children in grades K-12, supporting their academic and social-emotional growth as they settle into America. This experience has deepened her passion for helping children (particularly those facing unique barriers) succeed. After graduating she hopes to work full-time while applying to Master of Social Work programs. Her goal is to become a school social worker, where she can advocate for students and create inclusive environments that help every child thrive. She states: “I want to thank the members of AAUW for your financial assistance throughout college. I greatly appreciate your support in helping me complete my education.” 

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The South Haven Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to create growth and positive change within our community. To accomplish this, we provide financial support to initiatives that support, cultivate and encourage education, economic growth and arts and culture in our community, enriching the lives of area residents.

Through generous contributions from supporters, General and specific endowments are created and managed to become large enough to sustain the many worthy non-profit initiatives in the greater South Haven area. Prudent investment of donor dollars and extraordinarily low investment fees allow our endowments to provide economic stability for area non-profits and to support the introduction, growth and maturation of new, exciting and much needed programs.

We raise money, invest it and provide grants to help fund programs that support our mission

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The Foundation is providing leadership in the South Haven area by:

  • · Building endowments which benefit our community
  • · Inspiring and enabling donors to fulfill their charitable desires
  • · Facilitating prudent management and care of funds while increasing the capacity of our non-profit organizations to fulfill their individual missions
  • · Advocating for issues which promote community philanthropy by facilitating grants, awards and scholarships

Together we can address the current and future needs of the South Haven area for generations to come.

Help Us, Help The South Haven Area

Our strength is in our endowments and that is how we serve the community. Through your donor dollars, the South Haven Area Community Foundation continues to award grants that positively impact South Haven area communities.

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To date, the South Haven Area Community Foundation

Awarded over $650,000 to local non-profits and helped fund programs like:

The Riverfront Concert Series
Jazz Festival
South Haven Speaker Series
South Haven Theater Productions
Youth Summer Camps
South Haven Performance Series
South Haven Center for the Arts
South Haven Splash Pad
Michigan Maritime Museum
South Haven Project Curb
Beautify Pullman
South Haven Scott Club
Mitten Children’s Museum

Why do non-profits need endowment funds?

Donations made to endowment funds help produce stable annual funds for non-profit organizations. Endowments serve as the financial bedrock, taking the pressure off organizations who previously relied solely on donations. In addition, endowments can provide the funds to promote fundraising efforts leading to increased contributions and benefits to the community they support.