Community Needs Grants

Community Needs Grant funds were made possible from Unrestricted and Field of Interest Endowment funds and our Community Needs Grant Fund. During our 2025-26 Fiscal Year, 39 nonprofits received a total amount of $128,522 to help benefit and support the good work being done within our Chippewa County Communities. Included with the organization is the name of the awarded project:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin - Building Futures in Chippewa County
• Bloomer/New Auburn Area Food Pantry - Holiday Meals
• Boys & Girls Clubs - (Chippewa Center) - Quality Academic Learning Project
• CareLink - Emergency Transportation Needs
• Center for Independent Living for Western Wisconsin - Transportation to Medical Treatments
• Chippewa County Criminal Justice Services - Reentry Program Services
• Chippewa County Dept of Public Health - Stay Warm Kits - Public Health Kiosk Expansion
• Chippewa County Historical Society Inc - Lunch and Learning Program Expansion
• Chippewa County Humane Association - Fire Cellular Communicator and Security System Upgrade
• Chippewa County Land Conservancy - Field & Brush Mower
• Chippewa County Sheriff's Office - Peer Support and Community Outreach
• Chippewa Falls Mission Coalition - Lighten Your Laundry Mission
• Chippewa Falls Senior High School - Cardinal Landing and Cardinal Market
• Chippewa River Industries - Quiet Room Development for Facility-Based Day Services
• Chippewa Valley Cultural Association - Access to Arts for the Seniors
• Chippewa Valley Free Clinic - Comprehensive Health Care Services for Chippewa County
• Chippewa Valley Salvation Army - Laundry Card Purchases for Low-Income Residents
• Cook Rutledge Mansion - South Porch Restoration
• Early Literacy Coalition of the Greater Chippewa Valley - Chippewa Valley Little Libraries
• Feed My People Food Bank - Chippewa County Rural Outreach
• First Presbyterian Church Community Food Pantry - Purchase of Kwik Trip Milk Coupons
• Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes - Establishing Equity in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
• Girls on the Run - Girls on the Run and Heart & Sole Curriculum
• HillCrest PTO - School Playground Project
• Hope Village - Clean and Green Project
• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin - Titan Business Challenge & Classes for High School Students
• Lake Wissota Garden Club - Increasing June's Flowering Species in the Sanctuary
• Lake Wissota Improvement and Protection Association - Biochar Dock Sock Pilot Project on Lake Wissota
• Legacy Community Center - ServSafe Volunteer Certification
• McDonell Area Catholic Schools - Classroom Safety and Enhanced Literacy Program
• McDonell Central High School & Notre Dame Middle School - Props for School Musical
• Mentor Chippewa - Mentor Recruitment and Retention
• Notre Dame Middle School - Art Club Supplies & Snacks
• Open Door Clinic - Open Door Clinic Prescription Services
• Our Nawakwa - Fishing with the Loons on Picnic Lake
• Professional Dental Hygiene Express - Bright Smiles
• School District of Bloomer - Bloomer Robotics
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace - No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town! WI-Chippewa Valley 2025
• St John Lutheran Church - Hygiene for the Hornet Hive
• St Paul's Catholic School - Outdoor activities to promote teamwork and physical fitness
• St Paul's Catholic School - Tuition Assistance

Northwestern Bank School Mini-Grants

Because of Northwestern Bank's generosity, Mini-Grants are available to Chippewa County 3rd - 8th grade educators. During our 2025-26 Fiscal Year, 20 educators from 8 schools supporting 20 projects received a total amount of $6,000 to fund innovative learning and motivational activities or service-learning projects for their students. Included with the school is the name of the awarded project:

• Bloomer Elementary School - 4th Grade Rockets
• Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District - Outdoor Classroom Lake Wissota
• Cornell Elementary School - Decodable Chapter Books for Struggling Readers
• Holy Ghost Elementary School - Base Ten Block Sets/Math Manipulatives
• Holy Ghost Elementary School - Fleece for Service Project
• Holy Ghost Elementary School - Hands ON Math
• Holy Ghost Elementary School - Beginning Band
• Holy Ghost Elementary School - Intervention Room
• Holy Ghost Elementary School - Printmaking Pathways: Building Virtue and Creativity Through Gelli Plate Art
• Jim Falls Elementary School - 3rd Grade Readers
• Jim Falls Elementary School - Conscious Discipline support
• New Auburn Elementary/Middle School - Middle School Flower / Plant Production
• New Auburn Elementary/Middle School - Mystery Reader
• New Auburn School District - Trojan Recharge: Regulation Room for Learning Readiness
• Notre Dame Middle School - Classroom Flexible Seating
• Notre Dame Middle School - Novel Ideas: Igniting Minds Through Science Stories
• Notre Dame Middle School - Visualizing Success: A Document Camera for Dynamic Math Instruction
• St Peter Catholic School - Boosting Language Arts Excellence
• St Peter Catholic School - Classroom library biographies
• St Peter Catholic School - Poetry Books for 6th Grade Classroom

Designated and Donor Advised Grants

Designated and Donor Advised Funds allow fund holders to support the work of specific nonprofit organizations or charitable causes that are important to them. During our 2025-26 Fiscal Year, a total amount of $497,786 was granted out. The following list of nonprofit organizations or charitable causes received grant funding from Designated or Donor Advised Funds through the Community Foundation.

• All Saints Catholic Parish
• Barnabus Ministries
• Bloomer High School
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Chippewa Valley Inc - Chippewa Center
• Cadott Area Historical Society Inc
• Cadott Community Library
• Central Lutheran Church
• Central Lutheran Foundation
• Chippewa Area History Center Inc
• Chippewa County Dept of Public Health
• Chippewa County Genealogical Society
• Chippewa County Historical Society Inc
• Chippewa County Human Services
• Chippewa County Humane Association Inc
• Chippewa Falls Area Senior Center Inc
• Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District
• Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Foundation
• Chippewa Falls Fire and Emergency Services
• Chippewa Falls Main Street Inc
• Chippewa Falls Masonic Lodge No. 176
• Chippewa Falls Mission Coalition
• Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology
• Chippewa Falls Parks Recreation and Forestry Dept
• Chippewa Falls Police Department
• Chippewa Falls Police Department Alumni Association Inc
• Chippewa Falls Public Library
• Chippewa Falls Senior High School
• Chippewa Falls Youth Baseball and Softball
• Chippewa Valley Council Inc Boy Scouts of America
• Chippewa Valley Cultural Association Inc
• Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative
• Chippewa Valley Technical College Foundation Inc
• Chippewa Youth Hockey Association
• Cliffs Residents Outreach
• Community Foundation of Chippewa County
• Cook Rutledge Mansion Inc
• D.R. Moon Memorial Library
• Delong Middle School PTO
• Early Literacy Coalition of the Greater Chippewa Valley
• Eau Claire Sober Living
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - Good Gifts
• Family Health Center - Marshfield Dental Center
• Family Support Center
• Feed My People Food Bank
• First Presbyterian Church
• Friends of Lake Wissota State Park Inc
• Friends of the Irvine Park Zoo Inc
• Full Gospel Mission Church
• Harvestime Church - Bloomer
• Holy Ghost Parish
• Hope Village
• Hub Homeless Services Inc
• L.E. Phillips Career Development Center - Outreach Center
• Lake Holcombe School District
• Lake Wissota Association
• Landmark Christian Church
• Legacy Community Center
• Lifespring Fellowship Church
• Literacy Chippewa Valley
• Lutheran Social Services - Eau Claire branch
• McDonell Area Catholic Schools
• McDonell Central Catholic High School
• McDonell High School Foundation Inc
• Mobile Meals Inc of Chippewa Falls
• Noon Kiwanis Club of Chippewa Falls Inc
• Notre Dame Catholic Church
• Open Door Clinic
• Oriole Diamond Club
• Otter Lake Booster Club
• Our Nawakwa Inc
• Our Saviours Lutheran Church
• Rescued & Redeemed Corporation
• School District of Maple
• Shriners Hospitals for Children- Twin Cities
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace - Chippewa Chapter
• St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
• Stanley Community Association Inc
• Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry Inc
• The Community Table Inc
• Tilden Volunteer Fire Department
• University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Foundation Inc
• WI Department of Natural Resources
• Wisconsin 4-H Foundation
• World Relief Wisconsin
• YMCA of Collier County
• YMCA of the Chippewa Valley - Chippewa

Healthy Chippewa County Grant

Healthy Chippewa County Grant funds were made possible from new endowment funds established through the transfer of assets from the former HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation. During our 2025-26 Fiscal Year, 5 nonprofits received a total amount of $141,389 to help benefit and support initiatives that address the County's health needs while working to reduce health disparities. Funding is focused on five priority areas: health needs and reducing health disparities, alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) services, home health and/or hospice, financial assistance to healthcare, and healthcare for women and infants. Included with the organization is the name of the awarded project:

HEALTH NEEDS AND REDUCING HEALTH DISPARITIES

• Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative - Equipment for Wound Care Center

AODA

• Rogers Memorial Hospital Foundation - Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment supporting the new Chippewa Falls Behavioral Health Hospital

HOME HEALTH AND/OR HOSPICE

• Chippewa County Aging and Disability Resource Center - Expansion of Chippewa County Meals on Wheels Program

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO HEALTHCARE

• Curtie Cares - Transportation to Healthcare Services for Rural Homebound Residents

HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN AND INFANTS

• Aspirus Health Foundation - Panda warmer for Chippewa Falls Hospital ER Department