Category: In the News

It was a celebration of collaboration when Fox Cities Greenways members gathered virtually Thursday, Jan. 28, for the nonprofit trail advocacy group’s annual meeting. Working with East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, outgoing Board President Holly Femal made this list of accomplishments possible: Hosting the Fox […]

A recent report from Northwestern University, “The State of Local News 2022,” painted an alarming picture of the loss of local journalism in communities across the United States, calling it a “crisis for our democracy and our society.” The annual study noted the country lost more than a quarter of its 2,500 newspapers since 2005 […]

We’re celebrating the impact of our foundation and hundreds of other community foundations across the country that are empowering positive social change in neighborhoods, counties, and states. We’re proud to be a member and supporter of the Wisconsin Philanthropy Network (WPN), which supports and promotes effective philanthropy in our state. Community Foundation Week, created in […]

I’m honored to share with you the impact that Nonprofit Leadership Initiative (NPLI) has had on my personal journey in the nonprofit world. After working in mission-driven programming for over 12 years at Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, I knew I was ready for the next chapter of my leadership journey. Thankfully, NPLI’s Leadership Institute was there to […]

Tracey Koenig’s 25-year career at Heckrodt Wetland Reserve started largely because the Menasha nature center was close by. That was a happy bit of serendipity for the visitors, staff and wildlife at the 91-acre nature center in Menasha. Tracey and her husband moved from Texas to a house near Heckrodt early in 1998. She had […]

Linda Blohowiak shares why she created the Henn Family Fund within the Shawano Area Community Foundation. What inspired you to give back to your community? I inherited money from my parents. My parents were very generous people and I wanted to honor them by using some of the funds to give back to the community […]

Generous grants from funds within the Community Foundation supports the Appleton’s History Museum at the Castle, and are listed below. By Dustin Mack, Chief Curator, History Museum at the Castle With a flourish, John Stephens called the first meeting of the Outagamie County Pioneer Association to order at 10 a.m. February 22, 1872. And the […]

A conversation at the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton with Walter S. Rugland about the spirit of giving in the Fox Valley This week, StoryCorps is recording 15 interviews with local residents about a wide range of topics at the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton. Each of the recordings will soon […]

Like the rest of the country, Northeast Wisconsin is experiencing an unprecedented lack of housing inventory, especially at prices that are affordable to the average person. Significant underproduction, rising costs for housing materials and labor, rising interest rates, and increasing demand have created a perfect storm. As one of the largest investments someone can make […]

Donations to assist hurricane victims in the Texas Gulf Coast can be made through a charitable fund the mayor of Houston has established with the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Mayor Sylvester Turner established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund that will accept tax-deductible flood relief donations. Moving almost as quickly as the flood relief crews are […]

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) conducted a survey for us in June to learn from our donors what we’re doing well and what we could improve. We received 316 surveys and a 35% response rate. Thanks to all who took the time to respond! The survey results show our impact on the community and […]

By: Hope Schaefer, Executive Director, Nonprofit Leadership Initiative It may be September, but end-of-year giving appeals are coming, and at the Nonprofit Leadership Initiative we are thinking about how we tell our stories. Are we telling empowering stories? Are we telling them in an ethical way? Storytelling is embedded into all that we do in […]