Community Donations & Sponsorships
Each year, we provide many Upper Peninsula non-profit organizations with financial support that improves the quality of life in our communities. We provide donations and sponsorship to organizations that are located within the communities served by UPPCO.
UPPCO focuses funding efforts in 5 categories:
- Arts & Culture
- Community Development
- Education
- Environment
- Health & Human Services
Requests are reviewed by a committee on a monthly basis. Please review our Donation and Sponsorship Contribution Guidelines linked below to ensure that your request qualifies. If you have questions, please email.
Guidelines (PDF) ApplicationOnly requests submitted through our online application will be considered. Mailed or emailed requests will not be accepted. Following selection for support, you may be asked to provide a completed IRS W-9 form for the current year.
Community Giving
Each year, we provide as many as 150 Upper Peninsula non-profit organizations and associations with grants and volunteer support that improve the quality of life in our region. None of the funds provided come out of any portion of UPPCO’s operational budget. Instead, charitable funds come from 2 sources:
- A portion of the donated funds comes from the generosity of current and former UPPCO employees, who regularly contribute through the United Way.
- Funds are drawn from UPPCO earnings as profit after all operating costs and reinvestment into operations have been accounted for.
Here are a few examples of our community support efforts:
Centennial Farms
Supporting the Historical Society of Michigan’s U.P. Centennial Farms
Upper Peninsula farming families have helped define the culture of the Upper Peninsula and contributed to Michigan’s development. As a sponsor of the Historical Society of Michigan’s Centennial Farm Program, UPPCO helps commemorate the dramatic changes electricity has brought to farm operation and family life.
- The Centennial Farm program recognizes farms that have remained in the same family for 100 years or more.
- To be designated as a Centennial Farm, a property must be a working farm of 10 or more acres that has been continuously owned by the same family for at least 100 years.
- Once a farm is certified through the Michigan Centennial Farm Program, the owners will receive a certificate as well as a display marker for their farm.
The official green-and-yellow markers are sponsored by UPPCO in our Upper Peninsula service area. UPPCO is proud to recognize these Centennial Farms:
Centennial Farms Recognized by UPPCO
| Farm Name | Year Founded | County | Centennial Certification Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augustus Schaffer Farm | 1857 | Ontonagon | 02/01/1962 |
| James Daniels Farm | 1865 | Ontonagon | 01/18/1966 |
| Jermiah Penegor Farm | 1850 | Ontonagon | 06/16/1966 |
| Alex Rheault Farm | 1866 | Houghton | 9/22/1969 |
| Patrick DeLoughary Farm | 1882 | Menominee | 04/15/1982 |
| August and Sophia Krans Farm | 1882 | Iron | 03/08/1985 |
| Joel David and Anna Millard Farm | 1857 | Ontonagon | 05/10/1985 |
| Peder Olaus Olsen Farm | 1884 | Iron | 09/23/1985 |
| Fred A. and Regina Hall Farm | 1889 | Iron | 05/20/1986 |
| Carl Kunde Farm | 1881 | Marquette | 11/24/1986 |
| John Soderquist Farm | 1894 | Iron | 01/06/1989 |
| Richard and Ann Pawley Farm | 1888 | Schoolcraft | 05/17/1989 |
| Wardeslaw Luba Farm | 1893 | Iron | 02/13/1990 |
| Martin and Anna Smydra Farm | 1891 | Ontonagon | 09/13/1991 |
| William Davey Farm | 1853 | Ontonagon | 02/19/1992 |
| Louis and Melina Vadnais Farm | 1885 | Houghton | 05/08/1992 |
| Minnie Rosenquist Farm | 1893 | Iron | 04/28/1993 |
| Johan Simi Farm | 1899 | Houghton | 09/01/2000 |
| Alphonse and Elizabeth DuBord Farm | 1900 | Delta | 03/30/2001 |
| George Wittaker DeLoughary Farm | 1891 | Menominee | 06/28/2002 |
| John Erick and Wilhelmiina Kangas Farm | 1903 | Ontonagon | 06/30/2003 |
| Hans and Amalia Hannula Farm | 1888 | Houghton | 11/14/2003 |
| Farm | 1903 | Menominee | 11/14/2003 |
| Joseph and Angeline Herioux Farm | 1896 | Delta | 10/15/2004 |
| Joseph and Emma Kyllonen Farm | 1904 | Houghton | 07/16/2005 |
| Jacob and Augusta Shunk Farm | 1898 | Marquette | 09/10/2005 |
| Alfred Smedlund Farm | 1906 | Iron | 03/28/2006 |
| Noel Bissonette Farm | 1883 | Delta | 02/19/2008 |
| Jacob Wurzer Farm | 1910 | Iron | 09/28/2010 |
| George and Catherine Hughes Farm | 1902 | Delta | 11/21/2011 |
| Joseph and Adelle Germain Farm | 1905 | Delta | 11/30/2012 |
| Stanislaus Krolik Farm | 1891 | Baraga | 04/12/2013 |
| Henry Witte Farm | 1914 | Delta | 06/04/2014 |
| Eli and Johanna Turpeinen Farm | 1915 | Baraga | 06/03/2015 |
| Anton and Anna Vuk Farm | 1914 | Baraga | 02/13/2018 |
| Joseph Emanuel Richer Farm | 1908 | Delta | 08/02/2018 |
Dollars for Doers
The UPPCO Dollars for Doers Program offers an opportunity for employees and retirees to volunteer and raise funds for their favorite nonprofit organizations. Employees and retirees who volunteer can earn donations of up to $300 per year for the organization of their choice, provided the nonprofit’s mission and work fit into the 5 priority areas of UPPCO charitable giving (above).
Dollars for Doers Request Form (PDF)The Dollars for Doers request form should be submitted by December 31 of each year for volunteer hours performed that calendar year.
Please email our Donations mailbox with direct questions.