A modest fund, spent deliberately
The Summit Foundation is a charitable fund supported by the credit union and by member donations. It is not large, and it does not pretend to be. In 2025 it granted $41,500 across fourteen community organisations and awarded $42,500 to seventeen students, which is $84,000 in total placed in the counties where Summit's 412,000 members live.
Because the pool is small, the Foundation would rather fund one specific thing completely than sprinkle a little across everything. A new chest freezer for a rural pantry, a term of bus passes for a jobs programme, replacement smoke alarms for forty older households: those are the kinds of requests that get funded, because a year later somebody can point at the result.
Administration is paid for by the credit union, so every dollar donated reaches a grant. Decisions are made by a panel of five that includes two volunteer directors and two frontline branch employees, and the totals are reported to members each year in the annual report.
Three priorities, and the limits on each
Narrow beats broad; a small foundation that funds everything funds nothing well.
The 2026 calendar, start to finish
Two community grant rounds and one scholarship round, with fixed dates so you can plan around them.
This is a demonstration website; rates, products, and figures shown are illustrative only.
Members send in most of the good applications so tell us what you see
You do not need a connection to an organisation to nominate it, and you do not need to be its treasurer to say it is doing good work. Two paragraphs naming the group and describing what it does where you live is enough for the Foundation to make contact. Call 800.555.7846 or write to us and the panel will take it from there.
Applying for a grant or scholarship
Does my organisation need to bank with Summit?
No. There is no requirement to hold an account, and applying has no bearing on any lending relationship you may already have. The only geographic test is that the work happens in the counties Summit serves.
How long does a decision take?
About six weeks from the deadline. Verification of charitable status and financials takes roughly three weeks, then the five-person panel scores each request on need, reach, and whether the money changes an outcome rather than covering overhead.
Who sits on the grant panel?
Five people: two volunteer directors from the board, two frontline branch employees, and the Foundation coordinator. Panel members recuse themselves from any application involving an organisation they serve or are related to.
Can students apply directly for a scholarship?
Yes. Applications open on 1 February and close on 31 March. You need a short essay and one reference from a counsellor or employer. Awards of $2,500 are paid to the college, university or apprenticeship provider on your behalf.
Where does the Foundation's money come from?
From the credit union's operating results and from voluntary member donations. Administration costs are absorbed by Summit, so donated dollars go into grants rather than into running the fund. Totals appear in the annual report.
Can I donate to the Foundation?
Members can add a recurring transfer from any Summit account, or contribute at a branch. Grants are not deposits and are not insured, and a donation carries no effect on your membership, your accounts, or your borrowing.
Know a group that should be funded?
A nomination takes about ten minutes, and members find the best ones before we do.