Together, We Flourish: How the Community Foundation Impacts the Fox Valley Region

What began in 1986 with a single visionary, Walter L. Rugland, and $5,000 in seed money to start the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region has grown into a more than $580 million in assets that continues to shape the region in lasting ways.  This kind of growth is not accidental. It is the result of thousands of individuals, families, and organizations choosing to invest in the long-term well-being of their family, friends, and neighbors.

The Fox Valley Region never lacked vision. What sets our region apart is our willingness to act on it. “We’re a big enough community where things are possible and dreams can really turn into reality,” said Curt Detjen, President & CEO of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. “From a nationally recognized performing arts center to a robust network of nonprofits addressing the region’s most pressing needs, these are not coincidences. They are the product of intentional, collective generosity guided by deep community knowledge and drive.”

The Community Foundation serves Calumet, Outagamie, Shawano, and Waupaca counties, as well as the Neenah-Menasha area of Winnebago County, with affiliate partners in Brillion, Chilton, Clintonville, Shawano, and Waupaca. We have grown to become the second-largest certified Community Foundation in Wisconsin and rank among the top 10% of more than 750 community foundations nationwide. Through the generosity of donors, we manage the region’s largest scholarship program and in 2025 had more than $2 million available in scholarships.

Central to our work is connecting individual generosity with the nonprofits and causes that are making an impact on our community. We steward nearly 2,000 charitable funds established by families, businesses, and organizations who want their values and legacy to endure. The Community Foundation provides a personalized approach to giving. We have a team of skilled professionals who are deeply knowledgeable of pressing community needs and dedicated to helping donors create charitable giving plans that capture values, beliefs, and convictions. We provide donors with meaningful opportunities in how they engage, whether through donor advised funds where donors recommend grants for charitable causes that have a special meaning them, to a designated fund that is a targeted approach to giving that provides ongoing charitable support.

Most of the charitable funds we administer are permanent endowments, which means they will continue to provide grants forever to support the charitable causes selected by donors. As one donor reflected, “We know that whatever life holds, our small gift will multiply.” This type of funding is how the Community Foundation lives our mission to strengthen our community for current and future generations by helping people make a difference in the lives of all. We ensure the impact of your gifts lasts forever so that our community will always flourish.

The Community Foundation exists because this community believes in itself and in one another. We are honored to serve as your trusted partner to make a difference.