The Loop

When developers planned to build condominiums on a 25.6-acre slice of nature between Clintonville and Shawano where area residents enjoy hiking and snowshoeing, a group rose up to buy the property for the Town of Belle Plaine. It took three years (2003-06) to secure a state grant and private donations, but Gibson Island remained accessible to […]

The Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships each year to students from 60 high schools in the Fox Valley. We frequently receive letters and phone calls of gratitude from students and from their parents. We are incredibly thankful to share the stories we hear, like this one from a Carl Mleziva, a father of a […]

If you are a nonprofit leader in the Fox Valley region, how many times today, this week, this month, have you had to have some tough conversations with employees, volunteers or board members? Was it zero? I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. If so, I would love to hear how you accomplish this! Was […]

The Fox Valley is home to roughly 4,700 Hmong-Americans, yet few people know much about this ethnic group’s history, traditions, or even why they settled in Wisconsin. Now you can learn about Hmong culture through art, at no cost, thanks to grants from the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley […]

Jeff Werner and his wife Beth have been involved in many charitable endeavors over the years, and as lifetime Appleton residents, the two wanted to do something special to benefit their community long after they’re gone. “We both felt it is important to continue to provide for the Fox Cities, a community that’s been really […]

Peggy Cosner has cancer. She’s no longer in remission, and planning for whatever is next has weighed heavy on her mind. “We all think we’re indestructible, but the truth is we just aren’t,” says Cosner, who works as a front entrance receptionist at Goodwill Industries in Menasha. She says playing a game called, “Hello Let’s […]

Youth Go Neenah is back open today after a brief winter break, giving children and teens a chance to learn new life skills by working together in a brand new kitchen. The nonprofit’s kitchen remodel project transformed a small cramped space into a large space with room for all to wear the “chef’s hat.” “We […]

The giving season is an exciting time. In the waning days of December, the Community Foundation office is a flurry of activity as donors make grants from their charitable funds to support their favorite charities before year-end. In the five weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Community Foundation assisted donors in their philanthropic goals by […]

By Carolyn Desrosiers, Community Engagement Manager The Community Foundation’s Bright Idea Fund has awarded five new grants to nonprofit organizations striving to improve the quality of life in the Fox Valley region. This fund combines dollars from endowments established by generous donors to address ever-changing community needs in Outagamie, Calumet, Waupaca and Shawano counties and […]

Friday is a big day for us at the Community Foundation and for the Fox Valley. Several of our charitable funds are making it possible for us to offer a dollar-for-dollar match up to $36,000 for the Salvation Army – Fox Cities’ Match Day December 21.  It’s the largest match day of the Red Kettle […]