Leadership Oakland reports surge in Acorn to Oak youth grant applications after media coverage; contract renewed for three years

Susan Holiday, executive director of Leadership Oakland, told the Oakland County commissioners that the Acorn to Oak youth grant program has been renewed under a new county contract and that applications surged after local media coverage. Holiday said the county renewed the contract in October 2024 for three years at $100,000 per year, and Leadership Oakland will continue to administer the program.

Holiday reviewed the program’s history and results. She said County Executive Dave Coulter announced Acorn to Oak at his 2023 State of the County address; the board approved an initial allocation of $250,000 in May 2023, and a contract between Leadership Oakland and Oakland County was signed that October. Holiday said the program’s first grant deadline was March 15, 2024, and the contract was renewed in October 2024 for another three years.

Holiday described the program’s eligibility and structure: grants are open to Oakland County youth ages 8–18, applications are accepted year-round with quarterly review cycles, and a steering committee meets quarterly to review submissions. She described four program focus areas—entrepreneurship, community impact, education, and extracurriculars—and highlighted awardees including young entrepreneurs, a youth who created care packages for families affected by the Oxford shooting, robotics teams, and students who traveled to competitions.

Holiday presented program statistics for 2024 and 2025. She said the program’s first year received "a 13 applications" and awarded 71 grants; she reported that the county awarded grants across 25 communities in Oakland County. In the most recent quarter Holiday said the program received more than 250 applications after the Detroit Metro Times ran a front‑page story; 14 applications were ineligible because applicants were too old or lived outside Oakland County, and 45 applications were reviewed this quarter. She said Leadership Oakland is currently awarding 46 grants from that review and that staff are notifying recipients.

On finances Holiday said Leadership Oakland awarded just over $40,000 in grants in 2024 and will award just over $28,000 in the current quarter. She said Leadership Oakland’s administrative fee for running the program is 12 percent. When asked about the source of the original $250,000, Holiday said she understood from Hillary Chambers that the funding was from the county’s general fund rather than ARPA; she also confirmed the renewed $100,000 per year is from general fund allocations.

Holiday said Leadership Oakland follows up at six months after awards to collect testimonials, photos and project updates, and that staff are working to connect applicants to mentors (for example, a young app developer) and community resources (makerspaces, entrepreneur markets). Holiday identified Leadership Oakland’s steering committee members and board representatives who participate in grant review and described outreach steps—television interviews, a radio interview and the Detroit Metro Times coverage—that she said contributed to the recent surge of applications.

The record shows the presentation was received by the committee. No formal county action on the program was recorded during the presentation beyond noting receipt of the update and confirming the contract renewal already executed in October 2024.