People in the Fox Valley have no shortage of options for their philanthropic dollars. Many of our donors at the Community Foundation use their donor advised funds to support favorite charities across the country, including alma maters, organizations in the communities where they’ve lived in the past or have a second home, or charities in communities where their grown children are now living. But many people are deeply committed to keeping their dollars here, where they’re living now. It’s where they’ve raised their children, or where they’ve built a business.

Valley Packaging provides key workforce opportunities.

Our team at the Community Foundation partners with people who tell us they want to “take care of their own,” by making sure their dollars are making the biggest difference possible right here in the Fox Valley.  

The unfortunate steady flow of crises and even disasters, coupled with decreasing state and federal funding to local nonprofits, means that philanthropy is playing an increasingly important role in our region. The Community Foundation, through its wide variety of fund types available (including endowment funds to support the community in perpetuity), can help people achieve their goals for local support, whether that takes the form of disaster recovery, supporting families in need, funding critical workforce development, or paving the way for historic preservation initiatives. 

Children play at Project Bridges, part of the Community Early Learning Center.

The Community Foundation team is always happy to provide insight into the challenges our community is facing right now and which organizations are delivering services to alleviate those needs so that donors can provide immediate support through their donor advised funds.   

In addition, an unrestricted fund may be a good fit for people who want to improve lives right here in this community for generations to come, no matter what challenges our region may face at any given point in time. An unrestricted fund may be a perfect fit for people who are 70½ or older. In that age category, people may be eligible to make annual distributions up to $105,000 per spouse from their IRAs directly to an unrestricted fund at the Community Foundation. This transfer is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD. Not only do QCD transfers count toward satisfying Required Minimum Distributions, but people also avoid the income tax on those funds. Furthermore, those assets are no longer part of the donor’s estate upon death, which helps avoid estate taxes, too.   

The Community Vision Fund is another way donors can help meet local needs. The 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.  Learn how to give now. 

Please reach out to the team at the Community Foundation for more information on how you can support both current and future local needs, and also meet your own financial, tax, and generational legacy goals.  

Interested in creating a charitable fund to fit your goals? Your Community Foundation makes it easy to get started! Learn about these fund options and create your own.