Radio Keweenaw Fund
Tuning into the heart of the keweenaw
Celebrating local voices, history, and creativity through community-shaped radio rooted in place, story, and connection.
About Radio Keweenaw
Radio Keweenaw is a community-powered, low-power FM radio station dedicated to capturing the voices, histories, and rhythms of the Copper Country. What began as a kitchen-table idea in 2023 quickly transformed into a once-in-a-decade opportunity: the FCC opened a rare application window for new LPFM stations, something that hadn’t happened in ten years. With backgrounds in public media, ecology, and community storytelling, the founders seized the moment, applying within weeks.
Today, Radio Keweenaw is building a station rooted in the people and landscapes of the Keweenaw. The station’s mission is to celebrate and preserve local history while exploring the possibilities unfolding as our region transitions from an extractive economy to an experiential one. Programming will feature place-based audio postcards, archival interviews, sound-rich educational content, local music, and more.
Community-Centered Programming
Radio Keweenaw takes the “community” in community radio seriously. Nearly 150 residents shared their ideas through a 2024 community input survey, helping shape program themes, station priorities, and long-term goals.
Through open houses, mailing list updates, and collaborative conversations, the station continues to build a framework where anyone, such as musicians, storytellers, history keepers, outdoor enthusiasts, scientists, teachers, youth, and elders, can share their knowledge and creativity.
About the Radio Keweenaw Fund
The Radio Keweenaw Fund at the Keweenaw Community Foundation supports the station’s long-term financial sustainability. As Radio Keweenaw grows, this endowment helps ensure that essential operational needs such as annual music licensing, emergency alert services, antenna and transmitter operations, equipment, and electricity can be reliably supported year after year.
Creating this fund represents Radio Keweenaw’s commitment to thoughtful, community-oriented growth and its desire to align with organizations that share its values of creativity, inclusivity, and stewardship.
Why Support the Radio Keweenaw Fund?
Supporting the Radio Keweenaw Fund helps ensure that this community-powered station has the long-term stability it needs to thrive. Your gift sustains essential operations such as licensing, equipment, and emergency alert services, while strengthening a platform that amplifies local voices, preserves regional stories, and cultivates creativity across the Copper Country.
Community radio is especially important in rural places like the Keweenaw. It deepens connection to place, provides a trusted forum for local news and cultural exchange, strengthens community identity, and becomes a vital resource during times of crisis.
Your support fuels Radio Keweenaw’s next steps, including free community reporting workshops, an audio gear lending library, weekly open hours for storytelling and oral histories, and the buildout of an on-air studio space in downtown Calumet. Together, these efforts create more opportunities for learning, expression, and community connection.
Get Involved
There are many ways to help shape Radio Keweenaw:
Share ideas for programming or content
Contribute existing audio, stories, music, or field recordings
Volunteer to help with events, studio buildout, or outreach
Explore underwriting opportunities or sponsor a specific content area
Partner on educational or community initiatives
If you have an idea, or simply want to connect, email: community@radiokeweenaw.org
Donate
Your gift to the Radio Keweenaw Fund helps ensure that this one-of-a-kind community radio station can grow, thrive, and continue amplifying the voices and stories of the Keweenaw. By supporting this fund, you strengthen a local resource that builds connection, preserves history, and brings people together through shared sound and storytelling.
On the page below, please select the Radio Keweenaw Fund, indicate your gift amount, include any optional notes, and add your donation to your cart. When you’re finished making your selections, proceed to checkout to complete your contribution.