10/27/2026
Collaboration and innovation make our community special and allow our neighbors to access the resources they need. Since 2021, 12 Spark Projects have launched in partnership with 20+ United Way agencies or community partners like the Midland Area Community Foundation. We are proud to invest in these projects to continue address our community's toughest issues and ensure all can thrive.
Getting to class should be a bridge to opportunity. For students facing transportation barriers, it can be one more hurdle.
Through our Community Investment Fund, the Midland Area Community Foundation recently awarded $31,534 to Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services to help connect Midland County residents with education, employment, and destinations across our region. In addition to this support, we contributed $25,000 to a Spark grant in collaboration with United Way of Midland County. United Way of Midland County also contributed $25,000, bringing the Spark grant's total to $50,000.
The planned commuter route will connect Delta College's Downtown Midland campus with Delta College’s main campus, Saginaw Valley State University, and MBS International Airport. For local students, that means another way to reach campus, pursue a degree or credential, and build their future while continuing to call Midland County home.
Our grantmaking is one piece of a much greater collaborative effort. State funding, local contributions, and coordination among transportation providers are helping move this connection forward. We are just one component of this work through grantmaking and advocacy. We’re proud to work alongside Midland County, United Way of Midland County, the Great Lakes Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, private donors, Delta College, Saginaw Valley State University, Midland County Connection, and Midland Dial-A-Ride, with Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services operating the planned service.
This is your Community Investment Fund and community collaboration at work: supporting shared solutions and helping turn community resources into opportunities for our neighbors.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/47qsyei