Fenton Community Fund

Give today to the Fenton Community Fund and support homegrown philanthropy in the areas of arts and culture, community development, health and human services, and recreation. A local advisory committee meets throughout the year to review grant applications and advise funding to nonprofits that exclusively benefit the Fenton, Lake Fenton and Linden communities.

In 1991, the Fenton Community Fund was established under the leadership of Jack Winegarden. Well-known for his folksy and unabashed style in connecting with donors, Winegarden also served as a Community Foundation trustee from 1992-1999. Winegarden nurtured the growth of the community’s permanent endowment through the establishment of associated funds, like the Florence Michelson Fund, which is advised by the local advisory committee. We are grateful for Jack Winegarden’s vision and the everlasting legacy he created for the south lakes area.

Fenton Advisory Committee

  • Tom Rupp, Chair
  • David Lossing, Vice Chair 
  • Ron Stack, Trustee Liaison
  • Amy Begola
  • Charles Boike
  • Teresa Ciesielski
  • Linda Hathaway
  • Tom Hufton
  • Greg Krueger
  • Christina Landaal
  • Tate Marisa
  • Noah Morgan
  • Dr. Gerianne Mulanix
  • Patrick Naswell
  • Jill Norwood
  • Michele Papatheodore
  • Chad Robinson
  • Wendy Tremaine

Volunteer Recognition

Denise Booher was recognized for her 3 years of service to the Fenton Community Fund at the 2021 Art of Philanthropy Awards. 

Recent Grants

We Are Proud to Support These Great Nonprofits

City of Fenton Silver Lake Corridor - LAFF Pathway Phase II $12,500
Fenton Center of Hope Love our City Project $7,500
Lake Fenton Community Schools Fenton Area Program Support $3,000
Rotart Club of Fenton Book Backpack Program  $3,000
Lake Fenton Community Schools Service Dog Program at Lake Fenton Schools $2,500
Easter Seals of Michigan  School Behavioral Health Integration Expansion - Fenton $8,430

 

Endowed Funds associated with the Fenton Community Fund

  • Franklin D. Adams Fund
  • Richard A. Beardsley Memorial Fund
  • James T. Botticelli Scholarship Fund
  • William and Alberta Close Memorial Fund
  • William and Alberta Close Endowment Fund for the Loose Senior Center
  • Fenton Area Public Schools Education Foundation Fund
  • Fenton High School Alumni Association Scholarship Fund
  • Fenton Historical Society Endowment Fund
  • Horace W. Hitchcock Memorial Fund
  • Jason E. King “Thinking of Others First” Fund
  • Lake Fenton Community Schools Foundation Fund
  • Loose Senior Center Endowment Fund
  • Florence Michelson Fund
  • Popa Family Endowment Fund
  • South Lakes Youth Initiative Program Fund
  • Kim and Ginger Virkler Community Trails Fund
  • Winegarden Family Endowment Fund

Sitting on a bench overlooking Leroy Street, Linda Hathaway reflects on the ebbs and flows of Fenton’s downtown development. She remembers the Rowena Theater surrounded by a vibrant business district, the tearing down of the past, and now the rebuilding of something new. She takes great pride in her hometown and works every day to make it better.

Read Linda Hathaway's Story