What Is the Lake Trust Foundation?

Established in 2012, the Lake Trust Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization whose vision and mission are to link people and organizations together. By empowering entrepreneurs, enabling youth to thrive, fostering economic equity, supporting attainable and secure housing, and strengthening community resilience, we help create stronger Michigan communities. Through our scholarship program, we work to help students across the state in their academic pursuits on their way to achieve their dreams. 

The Foundation works to build a collaborative portfolio of organizations that can work together to achieve the greatest possible positive change in the community.

Your support of the Lake Trust Foundation helps Michigan.

Support from the Lake Trust Foundation has contributed to local revitalization efforts, given back to small businesses, and offered hope for those in need. By awarding over $1million in grants and donations to nonprofits across Michigan, we’ve worked together with our supporters to make an impact. 

 

Since 2013, we’ve been able to award a total of 78 scholarships through our scholarship programs to individuals in Michigan, equating to a cumulative total value of $2 million. Through generous donations and partnerships, the Lake Trust Foundation can continue supporting impactful causes that improve the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities in Michigan. 

The impact of your sponsorship.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, over $143,000 in proceeds were raised during our golf invitational in 2025. These funds had a direct impact on local communities and helped support the Foundation’s Areas of Impact with Michigan nonprofits including:

•       Powered by Good Day. in 2025, over 320 Lake Trust team members contributed over 1,000 volunteer hours at 39 volunteer events across Michigan for Powered by Good Day. 

•     Investing in Entrepreneurs. In 2025, the Lake Trust Foundation worked with Lake Trust Credit Union and Cleary University to develop the Lake Trust Entrepreneurship Institute (LTEI), a ten-week online course to support entrepreneurs and small businesses. Fifty participants joined the LTEI pilot cohort in May 2025. Those who completed the course are eligible to participate in a pitch competition funded by the Foundation awarding $11,000 in support.   

•     Friends of Foster Kids.  In 2025, the Lake Trust Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to support Friends of Foster Kids’ Youth Support program, dedicated to helping older foster youth successfully navigate the challenging journey from foster care to independent adulthood. The Lake Trust Foundation will provide youth with financial literacy training to help them achieve financial wellbeing and success.

•     Methodist Children’s Home Services (MCHS). In 2025, the Lake Trust Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to MCHS in Redford to support the Pathways to Independence for Michigan Youth in Foster Care Savings Match Program that encourages foster youth to save and achieve financial independence. Lake Trust provided the youth with a series of financial literacy courses ranging from financial basics to making large purchases, such as owning a home. 

•     Community Action House. In 2025, the Lake Trust Foundation provided a grant to Community Action House in Holland to support the Savings Club Program, which encourages savings and financial independence. Lake Trust will provide financial wellbeing classes and will be offered as a financial institution option for participants to open savings accounts.

The Lake Trust Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and our tax ID number is 45-5332078. Visit us at laketrust.org/foundation to learn more.