Category: In the News

Today kicks off Community Foundation Week, and it’s a great opportunity for us to let people in the Fox Valley know what we do. At a time of deep political divides in our nation, we want to share how community foundations serve a greater purpose in bringing people and communities together around common values that […]

The new free publication Appleton Monthly features Community Foundation President and CEO Curt Detjen in its December edition, giving him an opportunity to discuss what the Foundation does and why it works so well in this community. From the $5,000 check from Walter L. Rugland that acted as seed money 30 years ago, to the […]

Photo above: Fox Valley Literacy The David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region (Nelson Family Fund) awarded 22 grants totaling over $2,500,000, giving nonprofits and local municipalities a much-needed financial boost.  The Nelsons, who lived in De Pere, made provisions during their lifetimes for a […]

A year ago in February 2023, I was packing my bags to head up to the Fox Valley Region to share my film, “The Exchange In White America: Kaukauna & King 50 Years Later,” with audiences in Kaukauna, Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay, Lawrence University and Fox Valley Technical College. I never expected to show the […]

This is how it all began… One Sunday in early 2016 I was sorting through boxes in the garage. I found a box marked “high school stuff.” It held things that only I would consider treasures. It also held a copy of my high school newspaper, The King’s Page. It had this headline: “King is […]

An anonymous donor who read about American Legion Post 38’s difficulty in meeting a nearly $115,000 road assessment in Grand Chute has offered $10,000 from his Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region charitable fund to raise matching gifts. The fund will match dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000, gifts received by Appleton American Legion Post 38 […]

The Himebaugh Legacy Circle reached a notable milestone, now including 307 members who have included the Community Foundation in their estate plans. Among this thoughtful group is Jim Reichel who was passionate about his Kaukauna community. In 2006, he established the James R. Reichel Charitable Fund, a donor advised fund within the Community Foundation. Jim’s […]

By Curt Detjen, President and CEO How do you measure the giving spirit of a community? One very good barometer is looking at how they give through their community foundation. The recently released 2016 Columbus Survey is the most authoritative measure we have for comparing giving to our Community Foundation with others across the country. […]

Twenty years ago, a small group of local Waupaca people decided to start a community foundation. Their goal was to create a permanent source of funding for civic and charitable groups, ongoing programs, and new projects throughout the Waupaca area. As the Waupaca Area Community Foundation (WACF) enters its 20th year, we remain vigilant in […]

Generous support for the arts over many years has resulted in Dr. Monroe and Sandy Trout being named recipients of an Outstanding Lifetime Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (Northeast Wisconsin Chapter) presented last week. The Trouts were nominated by Curt Detjen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley […]

The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by announcing two grants from its Environmental Sustainability Partnership grant program totaling nearly $50,000 to improve water quality in the lower Fox River and build an amphitheater at Waupaca’s Eco Park. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance received $23,900 to develop a database […]

The Legend of the Lost Emerald, a PBS Wisconsin Education educational adventure video game, was created with the support of Fox Valley donors and won a gold medal at the 2022 International Serious Play Awards Program. The award honors outstanding commercial and student products, which incorporate game elements and were created for use in education […]