The Loop

When tragedy struck, taking the life of 29-year-old Jesse Pickett in December 2013, his family wanted a way to remember him and carry on his legacy. From an early age Jesse had a passion for firefighting and helping others. As a Grand Chute firefighter and fire inspector, Jesse was able to educate people of all […]

By Julie Keller, Executive Director, Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Women’s Fund Fundraising Luncheon was an incredible success! Held in our new location, the Fox Cities Exhibition Center, we welcomed almost 1,100 attendees and raised an astounding $245,000 in support of women and girls in […]

Grants totaling $110,000 from four charitable funds within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region were distributed to First 5 Fox Valley to plan for the transformation of the Trout Museum of Art building in downtown Appleton into the Together for Families: Fox Valley Family Resource Center. A foundational start to the project included […]

Hi there! My name is Kristy Bloedow, and I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve recently joined the Community Foundation as a Database Specialist – Grants. In this role, I will support database operations by processing grant and scholarship transactions. I’m excited to be contributing to the organization’s mission by ensuring the effective management and utilization […]

Hello! My name is Amy MacKenzie, and I recently joined the Community Foundation as the Director of Marketing and Communications. My role is to help provide strategic direction, planning guidance, and managing the execution of all internal and external communication and marketing functions of the Foundation. Most of my career experience has been working within […]

Our Waupaca Area Community Foundation partner awarded grants totaling $102,300 to 17 area nonprofit organizations from its Waupaca Area Community Foundation Fund to help enhance the quality of life in the greater Waupaca area.  “After 21 years of giving back to the community, the generosity of our donors never ceases to amaze me. These grants […]

By: Hope Schaefer, Executive Director, Nonprofit Leadership Initiative It may be September, but end-of-year giving appeals are coming, and at the Nonprofit Leadership Initiative we are thinking about how we tell our stories. Are we telling empowering stories? Are we telling them in an ethical way? Storytelling is embedded into all that we do in […]

The Community Foundation has distributed $3 million in grants to 79 nonprofit organizations in the region from the Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund with the Community Foundation.  Selected as a partner in Otto Bremer Trust’s (OBT) 2024 Community Responsive Fund pilot program, the Community Foundation was one of six intermediary partners chosen across the […]

Thompson Center on Lourdes in Appleton is dedicated to the mental, physical and emotional well-being of adults over age 50 by offering more than 200 diverse programs and activities for this growing population in the Fox Valley. In 2023 Thompson Center received grants from 18 funds within the Community Foundation totaling $148,374 in support of […]

By: Carolyn Desrosiers, Director of Community Engagement On the night of August 16th in the alley behind the Appleton YMCA, as upbeat music and the smell of good food filled the air, so did a sense of community pride and belonging. It was the culmination of “Paint the City 3,” a mural project led by […]