Chelsea Community Foundation

The Chelsea Community Foundation is a permanent community endowment with assets in excess of $2.5 million thanks to strong local support and prudent financial management. The Chelsea Community Foundation is guided by Chelsea’s civic leaders who care deeply about the community. To-date, more than $1.6 million has been awarded to local nonprofits to address emerging community needs and opportunities.

The Civic Foundation of Chelsea was formed in 1981 to coordinate the efforts of various individuals and entities in serving the needs of the community. Another organization, The Foundation for Community Care, was established by the Chelsea Community Hospital to provide financial assistance for patients in need of health care services and lacking insurance or the ability to pay, and for other philanthropic needs not typically part of a hospital’s operating budget.

In 1994, the two Foundations merged into the Chelsea Foundation, and in 1995 it became an affiliate fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. This affiliation offered access to the larger Community Foundation’s resources while permitting the flexibility to make sure Chelsea’s needs would be met from the proceeds of a well-managed permanent endowment with community-minded donors and advisors.