The Loop

You might expect that Stanley Cottrill would receive a lot of attention when he recently gave gifts totaling $2.3 million to nine charities, but he wouldn’t. He is the classic quiet giver that we see in the greater Fox Valley.

The best way to get a neighborhood to grow together, might be for them to grow things together. A project that attempts to help a central Appleton neighborhood work toward a better quality of life – from the dirt up – geared up this week with volunteers from the Fox Cities Kiwanis Club delivering wooden garden […]

Normally, it’s our grant-making that captures the most attention. On Monday, it was the less glamorous investment side of our work that drew the headlines. The Fox Cities Convention and Visitor’s Bureau released an updated economic impact analysis of a proposed Fox Cities Exhibition Center proposed for a site south of the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. At that […]

It was a major announcement. Decorated pro golfer and philanthropist Mary Beth Nienhaus was breaking the seal of secrecy on her donation of Winagamie Golf Course to the Appleton Education Foundation. But there always are stories behind the story.

We are pleased to announce that bank executive and trust officer Bob Ellis has been named our new vice president development and donor services.

Reprinted from The Post-Crescent, March 14, 2014 Very similar to a student applying for scholarships to pay for college, nonprofit organizations must rely on grants to help fund a portion of their budget each year. And, like that student sweating over the essay questions and lists of their accomplishments, nonprofits devote much time and energy […]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKgFfwplUZY&w=400&h=198] High school seniors are enjoying their final semesters and making plans for what comes next. For many, this involves searching for scholarships. Your Community Foundation is a focal point for much of this, providing nearly $1 million in scholarships to hundreds of students each year. This year, we are honored to add a […]

Personally, I’m not a procrastinator, but in my role at the Community Foundation I interact with many people who are. I’m talking about college-bound high school seniors. They’re so busy that applying for scholarships often falls to the bottom of their “to-do” list until they feel the pressure of a deadline … or their parents.

Look at the paperweight-shaped glass buttons that Portland, Ore., artist Greg Hanson creates and it’s not hard to trace his inspiration. The Appleton native was highly influenced by the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass in Neenah. “The people of the Fox Valley don’t know what a gem they have,” Hanson said. He was in town for […]

We used to use the scientific term “catalyst” to describe our grants made from discretionary funds. In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance added to create a reaction between other materials. Catalyst grants have been replaced by new goals in a program I would compare to a concept borrowed from biology — symbiotic relationships. That’s […]