Mielke Family Foundation

Our Story

The Mielke Family Foundation’s main focus is education, to fulfill the charitable wishes of founders Edward, Beulah, Ruth and Sarah Mielke. It is to further education that the Mielke Family Foundation supports the arts, health, youth and aging in the communities of Appleton and Shawano.  Education is not limited merely to schooling, but more broadly defined as follows:

Education has to do with discovery – that learning of the culture, the meanings assigned, the rarefied techniques that have come out of life experiences of people.  They seem to be just as important for human adaptation as these things that we have singled out in school to teach.

History

The Mielke Family Foundation was established in 1963 by Dr. Edward F. Mielke and his wife, Beulah (Bee), together with sisters Ruth and Sarah Mielke. A native of Shawano, Wisconsin, Dr. Edward Mielke practiced medicine in Appleton for 60 years. Ruth presided over the library at Appleton West High School for 40 years, and Sarah taught advanced mathematics at Shawano High School. In 1996, the Foundation reorganized to become the first supporting organization within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. Residents of Appleton and Shawano serve on its Grants Committee and Board of Directors. Members of multiple generations of the Mielke Family are active participants in the work of the Foundation and, through the establishment of funds within the Foundation, perpetuate the philosophy of giving back to the community in which one lives.

Grantmaking

The Mielke Family Foundation accepts applications through an open responsive grant cycle once a year and awards other types of grants proactively throughout the year by invitation only. Click to read the Mielke Family Foundation’s grant guidelines and apply.

In addition to the grants program, the Mielke Family Foundation proudly sponsors the Educator of the Year Awards, which recognize the outstanding contributions by Appleton Area School District teachers or professional educators from the Early Childhood-6 and 7-12 school levels.

2016 Groth Mentoring Award recipient Mary Poulson and the late John Mielke.

Board Members

Pam Gruner – Board Chair
Gregg Curry- Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer
Lee Allinger
Steve Grover
Matt Hendricks
Doug Mielke
Sally Mielke
Stephen Mielke
David Plekenpol
Anne West
Renee Ulman