How do I contact the La Crosse Area Community Foundation?
- Call (608) 782-3223
- Email Jamie Schloegel, Chief Executive Officer
- Mail or visit: 601 7th St. N, Suite 203, La Crosse, WI 54601
How could I get a grant application?
Contact the Foundation at (608) 782-3223 or at the Contact Us link to discuss your proposal with Foundation staff. If your project fits the Foundation’s criteria, you will be sent an application. For more information, visit the
How can I make a contribution?
- Gifts of cash or check
- Online giving
- Memorials or gifts honoring loved ones
- Matching gifts – some employers offer a matching gifts program
- Deferred gifts through wills and charitable trusts
- Gifts of stock and real property
How can I start a fund?
Call the Foundation to clarify your charitable vision, shape a permanent fund, and choose the most appropriate way to give, whether its cash, check, appreciated stocks or retirement fund assets. Learn more.
What is the benefit to giving through the Foundation and not directly to the nonprofit agency?
There are several benefits. The first is permanence; your fund is reinvesting every single year in a greater community. Because community needs change and evolve, your fund will be there to meet those changing needs and the people who you care about. Your family members can remain engaged in local philanthropy in the community in which they were raised even if they don’t live in the La Crosse area anymore. And, there really is no other more cost effective way to support your community than through a permanent endowment fund at the community foundation.
Can I give to an already established fund?
Yes, you may make a contribution to any existing fund. When you send the contribution, just indicate your desired fund on the check memo line or in an attached note. Browse our funds here.
Can I contribute to the Foundation without starting a fund?
Absolutely. Any gift will help the community, forever. Unrestricted gifts are put in the General Fund which distributes grants annually to meet identified community needs through an application process completed by nonprofits.
What are the reasons to give to the Foundation?
- Simplicity – one contribution can address a number of different needs and/or charitable organizations.
- Tax benefits – contributions qualify for maximum deductions for income, gift, and estate purposes.
- Professional management – the Foundation’s professional staff and voluntary board provide careful administration and oversight. Staff is available to answer questions, identify community needs, and screen grant requests.
- Perpetuity – the funds will serve the community now and in the future because only the earnings are spent.
- Security – all assets are held in perpetuity. The Foundation board provides careful stewardship of all gifts.
- Flexibility – if the intended use of a gift should ever become obsolete, the Foundation will strive to follow your wishes while allowing for changes that occur in every viable community.
- Public accountability – annual independent auditing, public disclosure of all grant activities, and careful selection of board members assure accountability and transparency in the public interest.