Our Waupaca Area Community Foundation affiliate partner awarded grants totaling $117,000 to 22 area nonprofit organizations from the Waupaca Area Community Foundation Fund to help enhance the quality of life in the greater Waupaca area.
“Donors have once again helped make this possible. With the support of our generous community, we have been able to grant out these funds to continue to make the Waupaca area a great place to work and live,” said Dick Phillipsen, chair of the Waupaca Area Community Foundation Advisory Board.
WACF funded the Waupaca Farmers Market to provide vouchers for access to fresh, local food to low-income individuals and families
Annual grants of up to $7,500 are given to support a wide range of projects and programs benefiting people of the greater Waupaca area. Grant dollars are generated from fundraising activities – including an annual fundraising dinner – donors’ charitable funds, and the endowed Waupaca Area Community Foundation Fund. Donations to the fund are welcome and can be made online here.
“Our Waupaca nonprofits are resilient and make a difference in our community through many different focus areas. This year’s grantees represent the full breadth of our nonprofits, with projects ranging from providing free clothes and food to families that need them or supporting those with Parkinson’s disease through a fitness program, to providing AEDs and CPR training” said Nancy Grams, Waupaca Area Community Foundation Board member and chair of the grants committee.
2025 Grant Recipients
- Bethany Home, Inc.: $6,500 to establish a CPR and AED training program.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin: $7,500 to support a mentorship program within the Weyauwega-Fremont school district.
- CAP Services: $7,500 to strengthen and maintain the Family Crisis Center, providing services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
- City of Waupaca Parks and Recreation: $4,700 to support a boxing program at the Waupaca Senior Center for those with Parkinson’s disease.
- Community Clothes Closet: $7,500 to bring free clothing to Waupaca families who need help making ends meet through bi-monthly distribution events held at the Waupaca campus of Fox Valley Technical College.
- CORE Treatment Services: $7,000 to expand behavioral health services in Waupaca.
- Foundations for Living, Inc.: $7,500 to support basic needs assistance including rent, utilities, food, and transportation to families.
- Fox Valley Technical College Foundation: $7,500 to support adjunct faculty time at the FVTC Waupaca Regional Center to deliver in-person English language instruction, and to purchase instructional materials.
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Girl Scout Daisies
Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes: $5,000 to make the Girl Scout Leadership Experience accessible, equitable, and affordable.
- Impact Wisconsin: $3,900 to provide a safe, welcoming space where individuals facing crisis can access immediate support and get connected with resources and recovery services.
- Rawhide Inc: $2,500 to support the jobs training program, which addresses hands-on skills of auto, welding, and culinary trades, and increases the ability of at-risk youth to secure and maintain employment.
- REACH A CHILD: $2,000 to provide backpacks filled with children’s books for every vehicle within the Weyauwega Police and Fire Department, benefitting both children in crisis and first responders.
- Rural Access to Justice: $600 to support the organization’s work of free and reduced legal services to those in need.
- School District of Waupaca: $7,500 to purchase furniture and equipment for an alternative education classroom at Waupaca High School.
- The Lakes Inc.: $7,500 to support Project Backpack, providing nutritious food and snacks for weekend consumption for food-insecure households in the Waupaca Area.
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Art ferris wheel, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Waupaca Community Arts Board
Waupaca Community Arts Board: $3,000 to support the Art Ferris Wheel, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Waupaca Community Arts Board.
- Waupaca County Department of Public Health: $6,700 to support the Safe Sleep Program, providing cribs, sheets, and safe sleep education to new parents and their babies.
- Waupaca County Suicide Prevention Coalition: $4,800 to support facilitated focus groups to learn more about residents’ concerns and to inform the future of the Waupaca County Suicide Prevention Coalition’s work.
- Waupaca Farmers Market: $7,500 to support the nutrition incentive program at the Waupaca Farmers Market, which contributes to food equity and provides access to healthy and locally grown food for low-income individuals and families.
- Waupaca Historical Society: $3,300 to support the installation of gutters on the Depot building, ensuring that rainwater flows off the roof into downspouts and barrels that will direct water away from the foundation. This is the last piece of the restoration project for this building.
- Waupaca Police Department: $6,000 to support the purchase of seven new Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) kept in squad cars, replacing outdated models.
- Wisconsin Badger Camp: $1,000 to provide free or reduced-cost 2026 camp experiences for Waupaca County campers with disabilities.
The Waupaca Area Community Foundation was established in 2003 by and for the people of the area to improve the quality of life in Waupaca area communities. It is an affiliate of the Appleton-based Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. To learn more, go to cffoxvalley.org/waupaca.
