Category: Grants Making a Difference

By Dana Berger Business Director, Kurt Stein’s School of Music Inc. Kurt Stein’s School of Music and YouthGo of Neenah will be collaborating to provide music education to underserved and at-risk teens. Eight participants from YouthGo, a drop-in center offering activities for teens, will be partnered with 10 teen interns from Kurt Stein’s School of Music, […]

A “Garage for Good” owned by two Fox Valley domestic abuse shelters is not only changing the lives of its customers and employees, it is treading new ground in state law. Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs of Appleton and the Christine Ann Center in Oshkosh opened a car repair business and training program called JumpStart, […]

Despite hearing loss and impaired vision caused by a rare genetic disorder called Usher Syndrome, 2010 Appleton North High School graduate Hannah Fitton played cello in her high school and college orchestras and swam competitively in NCAA Division I at Colgate University. Now she works as a market research analyst in Chicago. She received a Margaret Ferris […]

The David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region (Nelson Family Fund) awarded grants totaling $2,058,650, providing nonprofits and local municipalities with a much-needed financial boost.  The Nelsons, who lived in De Pere, made provisions during their lifetimes for a planned gift to benefit the region. Rita was a teacher, and David was the Chief […]

Chris. Darcy. Paku. Sontiana. Brooke. Their names ­­– and, more importantly, their stories – are still burned into my memory. Chris was driving drunk when he struck and killed a mom who was near her disabled car. Darcy thought she was safe to drive home after sleeping off a night of partying, but she fatally […]

By: Carolyn Desrosiers, Director of Community Engagement On the night of August 16th in the alley behind the Appleton YMCA, as upbeat music and the smell of good food filled the air, so did a sense of community pride and belonging. It was the culmination of “Paint the City 3,” a mural project led by […]

A $1,000 grant from the Bright Idea Fund and a $1,500 grant from the Prospera Foundation Fund, both within the Community Foundation, are supporting the 31st Annual Young Parent Conference, a free, day-long conference connecting over 100 teen parents with area resources. The event May 3 gives them access to services that help them become […]

A nationally recognized program in its second year in Appleton appears to have found the right formula to help at-risk teenagers feel more empowered to make a difference in school and in their lives. The month-long Summer of Service Program, which is coordinated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley and Appleton […]

Submitted by William Von Lopik ESTHER Community Organizer Listen to Wisconsin Public Radio coverage A free performance to be presented the evening of Jan. 27 at the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will offer a window into the world of women in prison. A group of women formerly incarcerated in Illinois will share their thoughts and […]

By Katy Hopp, executive director, Makaroff Youth Ballet Makaroff Youth Ballet (MYB) is thrilled to be premiering “Peter and the Wolf” at our spring concert on May 17 & 18, 2019. It’s the first big step in gearing up to present the piece, introducing both ballet and the instruments of the orchestra, to Appleton first […]

From homelessness to coming home, Pillars provides shelter, support, and solutions to address the housing needs in our community. That is more than 150 homes per year and more than 45,000 nights of shelter each year! Recently, to support these efforts, Lisa Strandberg, Executive Director of Pillars, accepted a grant of $797,245 from the U.S. […]

Move-in day! Grants from charitable funds within the Community Foundation continue to support organizations eradicating poverty and homelessness, such as Pillars’ Single Room Occupancy Program that allows clients to share a home with affordable rent.   By Ryne Lodl, Donor Engagement Manager, Pillars Imagine doing everything you can to get out of homelessness, but not […]