Bright Idea Fund

Backing Bright Ideas

Our Bright Idea Fund preserves and enhances the quality of life in Calumet, Outagamie, Shawano and Waupaca counties and the Neenah-Menasha area of Winnebago County by awarding grants to charitable organizations working to make a difference in their communities.

The fund:

• Combines gifts from generous donors who choose to have their dollars work together to address community problems and opportunities.
• Is informed by community-based data found in research like the Fox Cities LIFE Study.
• Engages staff, board members and volunteers representing diverse professional, personal and community backgrounds when making grant decisions.

Learn about the fund’s focus areas and priorities, as well as types of grants that are awarded.

Add to Bright Idea Fund Grant Dollars

You can add fuel to make bright ideas burn even brighter by donating cash, securities, IRA assets, real estate or other assets to help make more grant dollars available.

Donation options:

• Bright Idea Fund (Non-Endowed) – Donate any amount to this non-endowed fund, which makes dollars available now for awarding grants.
• Bright Idea Endowment Fund – Donate any amount to this endowed fund, which invests all contributions for the long-term, and provides up to 4.5% of the fund’s assets for grants that are awarded each year, in perpetuity, to maintain and enhance the region’s quality of life.
• Unrestricted Endowment Fund – Unrestricted Endowment Fund – Create this type of fund in your name with a minimum $10,000 donation. Each year up to 4.5% of the fund’s assets are pooled together with other Bright Idea Fund donations for making grants.

Community Foundation funds that are contributing grant dollars to be awarded from the Bright Idea Fund:

John and Dorothy Barlow Family Fund
Dr. Frederick A. and Margaret Brei Fund
Rodney M. and Jean M. Coenen Fund
Stanley J. Cottrill Charitable Fund
Howard and Alice Curler Fund
Ruth M. Davis Fund
Marion H. Drew Memorial Fund
Arnold and Dorothy Ann Evans Fund
Paul and Elaine Groth Fund
Ellen and Leslie Gunter Family Fund
Charles P. Heeter Family Fund
Donald and Violet Himebaugh Fund
Ralph and Ethel Moehring Family Fund
John and Mary Strange Family Fund
Keith Niemuth Charitable Fund
Patricia M. Rauch Fund
James R. Reichel Unrestricted Fund
Unrestricted Fund #2
Ralph and Jacklyn Shiner Charitable Fund
Jane and Tad Shepard Charitable Fund
William Siekman Fund
Wilmer C. and Dorothy Stach Family Fund
Don and Mary Sturtevant Family Fund
Theodora Vander Maazen Family Fund
Dan and Pat Waselchuk Family Fund
Gus A. Zuehlke Fund

One donor is anonymous.

Learn More

For more information about the donation options, contact our office at 920-830-1290 or give online now to the Bright Idea Fund or Bright Idea Endowment Fund.