Community Vision Fund

What is the community vision fund?

This fund seeks to fulfill community needs and advance well-being for all in Calumet, Outagamie, Shawano and Waupaca and the Neenah-Menasha area of Winnebago counties. The fund combines dollars from generous donors, which enable us to accomplish much more together than we could alone. See generous donors who have established endowment funds and Learn how to give now.

Using an inquiry, application and decision-making process involving staff and community volunteers from our Board of Directors, the Community Vision Fund provides grants based on five focus areas within its grantmaking approach. Guided by our Foundation values, we aim to act as a trusted and supportive partner to our local charitable organizations using a process that’s designed to be accessible and responsive to changing community needs.

What We Fund

Community Vision Fund Focus Areas
The Community Vision Fund’s focus areas are influenced by the Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being and the  Imagine Fox Cities’ community vision. Grantmaking will typically focus on the following areas:

• • Arts and Culture
  • Financial Stability and Well-being
  • Community and Neighborhood Development
  • Environment
  • Nonprofit Effectiveness

Community Vision Fund Grantmaking Approach
As we consider inquiries matching these focus areas, we place importance on the following:

• • Investing in under-resourced and/or historically excluded communities and organizations
  • Investing in rural communities
  • Investing in systems change efforts and systems thinking
  • Investing in organizations or programs led by people with lived experience (or those in closest proximity) to the issues we’re trying to address
  • Applying a diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism lens to all requests

Range of Grantmaking
Grant awards typically range between $2,500-$25,000 depending on the type of grant and scope of the request. In most cases grants will be for one year or less, however, multi-year grants may be considered for projects or initiatives that will take more than one year to implement and are in strong alignment with our focus areas and strategies.

Types of Grants
Requests for programs, projects, events, planning, training, capacity building, and operations (including technology) are all eligible.  See our Community Vision Aug. – Dec. 2022 grants, and Jan. – Aug. 2023 grants.

Important 2023 Fund Status Update – August 24, 2023

Due to the high volume of grants awarded and grant requests received for evaluation and consideration for the rest of this year, with limited remaining grant dollars in the fund, we have made the difficult decision to stop accepting new grant inquiries and applications through December. While disappointing, this is a prudent decision to ensure responsible stewardship of the fund’s grant dollars and to be respectful of our nonprofit partners’ time and efforts.

Applicants who have already started or submitted letters of inquiry or applications in our grant portal prior to August 24 will still be considered with the remaining grant dollars through the rest of this year.

During the rest of 2023 we will engage in a comprehensive review of the fund’s grantmaking strategy and approach to ensure we’re maximizing its effectiveness and remaining responsive to the evolving needs of communities in our region.

We are currently planning to reopen grantmaking in January 2024.

Reminders for Planning Ahead for 2024

1. Please carefully read the Community Foundation’s general grant policies to ensure you are eligible to apply. Familiarize yourself with our Grant Portal landing page where you will find information on registration, FAQ’s, and helpful tutorials. (Plan ahead to ensure your inquiry is received at least 60 days prior to the start of your event, program, etc. or when funds are needed.)
2. Watch for updates on this page about 2024 grantmaking inquiry and application process steps