Community foundation forecasts bright future

STERLING HEIGHTS — Martin Brown has a million reasons to smile. Well, two million, actually.

As the president of the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees and a founding member of the nonprofit organization, he’s witnessed the foundation go from an uncertain concept to a philanthropic cornerstone which now has more than $2 million in total assets.

“It’s exciting to see the growth that we’ve had,” Brown said April 14, following the foundation’s annual meeting. “When we started, some people thought it wouldn’t be successful.”

Today, “successful” is putting it mildly. Try prosperous. Fruitful. Triumphant. Even eternal.

That was the thankful and positive message delivered in a meeting room at the Sterling Heights Community Center as the foundation recapped its 2025 accomplishments and eyed future endeavors. Amidst the celebration, more than $74,000 in symbolic checks were presented in support of various causes, entities and events that strengthen the community through cultural, educational and recreational opportunities.

“A foundation exists to improve the quality of life for current citizens and sustain quality-of-life improvements for generations to come in perpetuity. That’s what we’re about,” said Karl Oskoian, the foundation’s executive director and president emeritus. “The foundation does this by focusing on its mission, its vision, its values and implementation of a strategic plan. Our mission is to implement, support and inspire visionary community projects … and to improve the quality of life for our Sterling Heights area residents.”

The foundation, which marks 35 years in 2026, has a solid track record, with more than $1.8 million contributed to community organizations and activities over its existence. Although independent from Sterling Heights government, the foundation supports numerous municipal programs and events. Examples include the city’s Music in the Park concert series, the Memorial Day parade and Veterans Day ceremony, the city’s farmers market, Sterlingfest, the skate park and ice rink, library programs and more.

Foundation grants also benefit police outreach and interaction with youth along with programs that impact students from Utica Community Schools and college scholarships for local students.

Grant recipients on hand at the April 14 meeting expressed their gratitude for the foundation’s support.

“I want to take the opportunity to give my sincere thanks to the community foundation board of directors, who are sitting here, for continuing to support quality of life in Sterling Heights and the Parks and Recreation Department,” said Kyle Langlois, the department’s director, who accepted a $40,000 contribution with earmarked funds for more than a dozen specific purposes. “The grants that cumulatively have made up this large check really go a long way in helping us to provide the value-driven quality-of-life services that we do each and every day.”

Melanie Davis, community relations director for Sterling Heights, was similarly thankful for the $8,500 check she accepted.

“We are very pleased to be able to receive this donation that is going to our annual Sterlingfest community festival, as well as our annual cultural exchange program, our diversity dinner and our Memorial Day parade,” she said. “These are some of the city’s key signature events and they really help solidify our brand as a city that is welcoming to all. … We’re happy to receive these funds and help continue those important programs that we always say take a community from good to great.”

 

‘We’re here forever’
In 2025, the foundation received $187,330 from a long list of individual, business and corporate donors. The foundation also manages 38 endowment funds and continues to seek more involvement.

Brown, who is serving his final year as foundation president, called the endowment funds “the secret of our success.”

“The endowment funds are controlled by the donors who determine the usage of their fund’s earnings. They choose project areas of their own interests due to their own heart,” he said.  “We give donors a vehicle to benefit a cause that they select. The funds are permanently locked and only the earnings may be spent on appropriate projects.”

By preserving the principal and allocating only the investment income, the foundation is set up for ongoing giving and a permanent presence.

“Our foundation has a long-term focus. We’re here forever, for perpetuity,” Brown said. “The board will shift and change over time … but the idea is that the money continues to give annually.”

As the organization continues to raise its profile and reach individuals who want to leave a legacy, Brown said the best years are still ahead.

“Our foundation has a very bright future, with much to be proud of. We are perfectly on course,” he said. “Our foundation is truly a diamond for the Sterling Heights community, and it’s worthwhile to learn more about many of our exceptional programs and projects and good works, and the perpetual funding available through our endowments.”

Anyone who wants to learn more about the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation can find information online at sterlingheights.gov/shacf or call (586) 446-2470.

“When it comes to individual contributors, we continue to seek and develop relationships with those who have the assets and are philanthropically inclined to part with them for the benefit of their community,” Oskoian said. “We’re working on that. It’s the most difficult yet potentially beneficial relationship that our foundation can cultivate.”