Marquette, MI June 16, 2014 — The Cliffs Natural Resources/Eagle Mine Marquette County Community Fund recently distributed grant funds to 13 community organizations that had earlier received grant approvals from the fund totaling more than $1 million.
This was the second round of grant distributions for the fund, which was created in 2012. So far more than $2.2 million has been distributed from the fund for community projects and programs in Marquette County.
“We are happy to make the check presentations and to get the funds circulating in the community in support of the worthwhile projects and programs that were approved earlier this year,” said Dale Hemmila, director of public affairs in North America for Cliffs.
“The funding from Cliffs and Eagle Mine represents a commitment from both companies to invest in the community beyond the salaries, services and supplies and taxes already being spent in Marquette County,” said Matt Johnson, external affairs manager for Eagle Mine, a subsidiary of Lundin Mining.
Checks were recently presented to representatives of the following organizations:
U.P. Children’s Museum $200,000
UPSET $200,000
Forsyth Twp. Public Library $150,000
Kaufman Auditorium $100,000
Marquette Women’s Center $100,000
Marquette Twp. Ice Rink Building $100,000
Republic Twp. Munson Park $75,000
Great Lakes Recovery Center $50,000
NICE Community Schools $36,000
Marquette City Band $25,000
Negaunee Historical Society $6,500
Michigan Youth Opportunities $5,000
Aspen Ridge Middle School $3,500
Grant funding will support programs such as the NICE Community Schools industrial technology program, the purchase of instruments for the Marquette City Band, digitizing 95 years of the Negaunee Iron Herald newspaper, and financial support for the Marquette Women’s Center and Harbor House while other funding will be used for recreational opportunities at Aspen Ridge and support for the Michigan Department of Human Services’ Youth Opportunities Initiative.
Building and infrastructure enhancements will be supported by grants to the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum, the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team (UPSET), Forsyth Township Public Library, Marquette Township and Republic Township parks, the Great Lakes Recovery Centers’ Woodland Community Learning Center and the Kaufman Auditorium in Marquette.
The fund remains open to receive additional grant applications. The next review cycle will be in the fall of 2014. The deadline for grant applications is September 30, 2014. Guidelines for fund grant applications are available at the Lake Superior Community Partnership website:
http://marquette.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Cliffs-Eagle-Fund-Guidelines.pdf
The Cliffs/Eagle Mine Marquette County Community Fund is a joint charitable alliance between Cliffs Natural Resources and Eagle Mine, a subsidiary of Lundin Mining. The fund was created in August of 2012 as the result of a business transaction between the two mining entities and was initially capitalized at $4 million. The purpose of the Fund is to provide grant funding to community focused projects in Marquette County.
A four-person funding committee comprised of two individuals representing Cliffs Natural Resources and two individuals representing Eagle Mine reviews grant applications and makes funding decisions twice annually. The fund is scheduled to terminate when all of its assets have been expended. The Committee shall endeavor to disburse all money within five years of its establishment.
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