SHF Awards $302,710 to 22 U.P. Health Initiatives, Surpasses $10M in Lifetime Funding

The Superior Health Foundation concluded its second grant cycle of the year on May 6, announcing $302,710 in funding distributed across 22 grants to organizations serving the Upper Peninsula. The awards include $189,618 in U.P. Health Impact Grants across six projects addressing maternal and infant health, behavioral health, healthy food access, healthcare workforce development, and child advocacy; $86,765 in Care Access Grants across ten organizations providing direct medical, travel, hospice, and prescription support to uninsured and underinsured U.P. residents; and $26,327 in Equipment Grants supporting six organizations.

The first half of 2026 will bring funding to organizations serving every one of the U.P.'s 15 counties. With this cycle's awards, the Foundation has now surpassed $10 million in lifetime grantmaking across the Upper Peninsula. A clear theme runs through this cycle: emergency response. Three of the awards directly strengthen rural EMS and emergency care capacity across the western and central U.P., reflecting the Foundation's focus on shoring up critical access as facilities consolidate or close. Two of those projects are highlighted below.

"This cycle pushes us past $10 million in lifetime funding to the U.P., and our grantees are filling some large gaps. When parts of the western U.P. lost emergency and labor and delivery services, Gogebic Community College stepped up with a plan to train nurses and EMS staff who will absorb that work."

-Megan Murphy, CEO, Superior Health Foundation

Gogebic Community College (GCC) received $70,901 to lead a four-part healthcare training program across the western U.P. The 2024 closure of Aspirus Ontonagon's Emergency Department and the 2025 loss of labor and delivery services in Ironwood have left rural patients farther from emergency care than ever, and rural EMS response times in the region average 97 minutes. Working with Aspirus Health System, Beacon Ambulance, MedEvac, U.P. Health System Portage, and Gogebic Medical Care Facility, GCC will use simulation manikins to train nurses, ED staff, and EMS for emergency births and other high-acuity calls. The grant will also support the region's first Virtual Dementia Tour and a healthcare leadership curriculum.

Maple Ridge Township received a $6,871 Equipment Grant to launch a tri-township volunteer first responder program after Delta County lost local EMS service. The funding will outfit volunteers to provide first care and stabilization in Maple Ridge, Bark River, and the surrounding area while patients wait for ambulances coming from farther away.

2026 Q2 U.P. Health Impact Grant Recipients

• Alger County Commission on Aging | Senior Produce Program | $12,000

• Gogebic Community College | Strengthening the Healthcare Workforce | $70,901

• Growing Forward Together | Expanding Trauma-Informed Support within Home Visiting for Early Parenting Families in the U.P. | $43,000

• Live Life Loud Resources | Building a Credentialed Teen Life Coaching Workforce in Michigan's Upper Peninsula | $15,480

• Tree House Family Resources | Growing Together: Community Support for Pregnancy and Postpartum | $33,237

• Women's Center, INC. | Ensuring Access to Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Services for Children | $15,000

2026 Q2 Care Access Grant Recipients

• Altrusa Hospitality House Incorporated | Community Kindness Collective | $10,000

• Baraga County Cancer Support Group Inc. | Travel Assistance and Support Services for Baraga County Cancer Patients and Cancer Survivors | $5,500

• Cancer Care of Marquette County | Patient Care Services | $4,000

• Catholic Social Services of the Upper Peninsula | Recovery Housing Rent Assistance | $9,765

• Delta County Cancer Alliance | Travel for a Cancer Cure | $10,000

• Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice | Hospice Support Care Fund | $10,000

• McLaren Northern Michigan Foundation | 2026 Patient Assistance for Upper Peninsula Patients | $10,000

• Medical Care Access Coalition of Dickinson & Iron Counties | Voucher Program | $10,000

• Pathways Community Mental Health | Prescription Coverage Gap Assistance Program | $7,500

• Reproductive Health Resources | Reproductive Health Access | $10,000

2026 Q2 Equipment Grant Recipients

• Bay Cliff Health Camp | Emergency Readiness Through Life Saving Training Equipment | $2,191

• Keweenaw Bay Indian Community | Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Elders Mobility Project | $10,000

• Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Upper Michigan Chapter | LBFE Transportation Emergency Preparedness (TEP) | $1,750

• Maple Ridge Township, Delta County | Tri-Township First Responders Program | $6,871

• Marquette Township Fire Rescue | EMS patient transport safety and accessibility improvements | $5,014

• Schoolcraft County Transit Authority | Improving Accessible Health Transportation in Schoolcraft County | $500