GL Foundation makes a difference in 2026

By Doug Jackson, outgoing Great Lakes Foundation President

Fiscal 2026 was a good year for the Great Lakes Foundation, the organization the GLCC uses to support many organizations impacting the Great Lakes. The number of grant requests were up. We received nine requests and granted funds totaling $56,812.  The following groups received grants:

●    Collegiate Academy Crew, based in Erie County, PA, which allows teen-age students to learn and appreciate the joys of rowing.

●    Able Sail Toronto, an Ontario organization dedicated to providing people who are living with a physical disability the opportunity to enjoy sailing. 

●    Plumb Island (Washington Island, Door County, WI)

●    UM Detroit River Schooner, a University of Michigan project that teaches students about the international heritage of this strait.

●    Great Lakes Responsibility Foundation, a nonprofit working to remove and prevent marine debris in the Great Lakes watershed through community action, education, and advocacy. 

Since its establishment, the Great Lakes Foundation has awarded grants of more than $400,000 USD. Grants have supported breakwater construction, dredging, and university-level research. It has also supported educational programs for school-age children, and bought mobility impaired sailing dinghies. Foundation grants have supported systems and infrastructure that don’t allow marine debris to enter the watershed.

Each of these are truly valuable efforts that impact the Great Lakes today, and the next generation’s understanding of the importance of this vital resource.

As your outgoing President of the Foundation, I’d like to remind you that YOUR contributions allow us to continue to make grants to worthy organizations. Please consider making a donation this year. It’s fully tax-deductible for US citizens. 

You can make a donation on our webpage:  https://www.glcclub.com/donation/donate-great-lakes-foundation.

We are a US 501(c)(3) charity. We are dedicated to preserving the richness of wilderness cruising areas of the Great Lakes, as well as fostering the art and culture of cruising.

Your new President of the Foundation is past Commodore Joe McKeown. You can reach Joe at 734-730-8289 or mckeown.joe@gmail.com.

It has been my privilege and honor to help the Great Lakes Foundation fulfill its mission of making the Lakes better for all of us.