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Here to Help

Donor Services Manager
Kelly Hicks

Phone
920.702.7655

Email
[email protected]

Waupaca Area Community Foundation

Preserving and improving the quality of life for the people of the greater Waupaca area.

Our Story

Established in 2003, the Waupaca Area Community Foundation’s mission is to preserve and improve the quality of life for the people of the greater Waupaca area. The WACF is a regional affiliate of the Appleton, WI-based Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. Our donors support charitable work in our communities, across the state or around the world. Contributions to and other charitable funds provide for grants to 501(c)3 and other qualifying nonprofit organizations and projects.

LATEST NEWS: Waupaca Area Community Foundation Awards Record $170,822 in Grants to 18 Area Nonprofits

Read Our Annual Report

Check out our digital version of our 2022 Annual Report to the Community! Click on the image to flip through our stories and read about the impact we’ve had thanks to generous individuals, businesses and organizations:

Donate

Make a gift to the Waupaca Area Community Foundation, and support our mission to strengthen your community!

If you’d like to donate by mail, please send your gift to: P.O. Box 425 Waupaca, WI 54981.

Charitable Funds

Individuals, families and organizations establish charitable funds with us to give back to the community in ways that help others today and for future generations. It’s easy to start a fund with a gift of cash, stock, real estate or almost any asset. We can help you plan a gift that meets your charitable goals. View our list of charitable funds for Fiscal 2023.

Grants

Most grants are awarded from funds for which the donors recommend recipients or have dedicated all grant money to specific charitable organizations or causes. Other grants are awarded from our Waupaca Area Community Foundation Fund, including Annual Competitive Grants. View the annual competitive grant guidelines here.

For 2023, the Waupaca Area Community Foundation is also offering a special Community Enhancement Grant for visionary projects related to the theme of Waupaca’s Future:

  • The Arts Hub: $7,095 to expand the makerspace with additional equipment
  • Bethany Home: $7,500 to update patient records systems
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin: $6,000 to support mentoring opportunities for three Waupaca youth
  • Photo via Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin

    CAP Services: $7,500 to provide mental health education and support and assist individuals in accessing mental health care

  • Child Care Resource and Referral: $7,500 to host the Play is the Way! event for childcare providers and families
  • City of Waupaca Parks and Recreation Department: $7,500 to rebuild Waupaca Middle School tennis courts for tennis and pickleball
  • Community Clothes Closet: $7,500 to bring free clothing to Waupaca families in need through bimonthly distribution events
  • Foundations For Living: $7,500 to support the new Middleton Home women’s transitional living program
  • Fox Valley Memory Project: $5,000 to expand access to dementia support programs for families in Waupaca
  • Friends of Hartman Creek Cooperating Association: $6,230 to complete the Hartman Lake Dike Trail
  • Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes: $5,000 to support scholarships and supplies to increase accessibility of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
  • Impact Wisconsin: $7,500 to open a monitored sober living home for men
  • Rawhide: $7,500 to support staffing for their job training program
  • Trees For Tomorrow: $4,000 to supplement course fees for Waupaca County students to participate in a three-day environmental education experience
  • Village of Iola: $6,500 to establish a community dog park
  • Waupaca Area Public Library: $3,750 to bring New York Times-bestselling author Angeline Boulley to Waupaca for presentations
  • Waupaca Historical Society: $4,850 to preserve 200 donated copies of the Waupaca County Post and the Picture Post for future generations
  • Weyauwega Arts Organization: $2,500 to sponsor the 13th year of the Weyauwega International Film Festival

The grants listed above plus the continued growth of the foundation’s value is a testament to the generous people of the Waupaca area who have embraced the Waupaca Area Community Foundation’s vision.

View the Community Enhancement Grant guidelines here. Applicants may apply for either or both grant opportunities, but they should review the grant guidelines for both opportunities carefully before applying.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to students from Waupaca County high schools. Application deadlines start February 1. Search by school.

WACF Board members

Board:

Dave Poeschl – Chair
Mary Zimmermann – Vice Chair
Scott Janssen – Treasurer
Erik Ellingson – Secretary
Aaron Jenson – Ex-officio
Christine Anthony
Dale Bestul
Bob Faulks
Nancy Grams
Tom Kurz
Angela LeSage
Bob Menzies
Dick Phillipsen
Kelly Pucillo
Wilson Roane
Glen Werner

Grants Committee:
Mary Zimmermann– Chair
Christine Anthony
Scott Janssen
Donavan Lane
Dick Phillipsen
Glen Werner

Contact us


Kelly Hicks
Donor Services Manager
920.702.7655
[email protected]

By Mail:
4455 Lawrence Street
Appleton, WI 54914