2024 Spring Grant Award Announcement
March 25, 2024
| By Megan Pierce, Donor Services Director |
La Crosse Community Foundation is jumping into spring with a HUGE list of grant announcements! This year is unique because we are in the middle of revamping our grant making process to align with our new strategic plan. Please know, we’re not throwing out the entire grant process. We’re evolving to better meet the needs of our entire community. There have been lots of intentional steps already this year to begin the revamping process. There was an awesome nonprofit appreciation breakfast, numerous focus groups to gain feedback on the nonprofit community in La Crosse and grant making, and the La Crosse Community Foundation board officially approved the next stage of the strategic plan.
There are SO many exciting things happening, and we are thrilled to share the list of grant recipients! Please stay connected to learn of upcoming grant application timelines.
Check out the full list of spring grant recipients!
Corinne Zielke Fund Grants
| Organization Name | Project Name | Amount Awarded | Fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys & Girls Clubs | BGC Baseball & Softball | $4,000 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| City of Onalaska | Addition of Baseball & Softball Pitching Machines | $3,400 | Harold E. Lemke Fund |
| Onalaska School District | L Screens & Batting Helmets | $1,250 | Harold E. Lemke Fund |
| Holmen Youth Baseball Parent Association | Holmen Youth Baseball – Holland Field Renovation | $4,000 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| Friends of West Salem Baseball | Baseball Uniforms | $3,208.84 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| School District of La Crosse | Field & Facility Maintenance Project | $2,975 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| West Salem School District | West Salem High School Mound & Plate Tarp Project | $2,472.75 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| La Crosse Youth Baseball | Bluffview Park Backstop Fence Improvements | $2,143 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| School District of La Crosse | New Batting Cage & Field Maintenance | $1,600 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| Village of West Salem | Baseball Helmet Project | $1,500 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
| Aquinas Catholic Schools Foundation | 3 Protective Pitcher “L” Screens | $1,200 | Corinne Zielke Fund |
Unrestricted & Standard Grants
| Organization Name | Project Name | Amount Awarded | Fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| YWCA La Crosse | Unrestricted | $50,000 | Community Giving Fund |
| Tellurian Behavioral Health | Jackson House Crisis Stabilization/Hospital Diversion Facility | $50,000 | Norman L. Gillette, Sr. Family Fund & Special Initiative Fund |
| Habitat for Humanity – La Crosse Area | ReNew the Block | $50,000 with $25,000 in 2024 and 2025 | Community Giving Fund |
| La Crosse Parks, Recreation, & Forestry | 2024 Ho-Chunk Nation Founders Day Pow-Wow | $30,000 | Community Giving Fund |
| Riverside International Friendship Gardens, Inc. | Ho-Chunk Garden | $25,000 | Community Giving Fund |
| Coulee Children’s Center | HVAC System | $17,425 | Community Giving Fund |
| HorseSense, Inc. | Safe & Secure Barn & Stalls for Therapy Horses | $11,991 | Norman L. Gillette, Sr. Family Fund |
| Down Syndrome Association of WI | Daily Living Skills Training | $10,000 | Norman L. Gillette, Sr. Family Fund |
| Gateway Area Council, BSA | La Crosse County Pop-up Outdoor Skills & Character Camps | $10,000 | Community Giving Fund |
| Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge | Harmony in Hope: MLK Jr. Celebration | $7,500 | Community Giving Fund |
Mini Grants
| Organization Name | Project Name | Amount Awarded | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region | Youth Empowerment | $7,500 | Harold E. Lemke Fund Margery J. Stansfield Fund Jean Gitz Bassett Fund |
| Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge | Juneteenth 2024 | $7,500 | Community Giving Fund |
| Causeway Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, Inc. | Expanding OASIS | $7,500 | Ostreng Fund for the Elderly |
| Chariots4Hope Wisconsin Corp | Community Shop Equipment | $7,500 | Sandy Castek Fund for Empowering Women Susan M. Quillin Fund |
| Climate Alliance for the Common Good | Nonprofit Climate Action Toolkit & Workshop | $7,500 | Lenna Campbell Fund |
| Friends of the Blufflands | Prairie Restoration | $7,500 | Maureen Freedland Social and Environmental Justice Fund Kerbaugh Family Fund Roland Beranek Fund Lenna Campbell Fund |
| Hope Restores Corporation | Fuel Costs for Programs & Support Groups 2024 | $7,500 | Susan M. Quillin Fund Community Giving Fund |
| Kicking Bear Foundation | Coulee Region Events | $7,500 | Jean Gitz Bassett Fund |
| League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area | Everyone Vote 2024 | $7,500 | Maureen Freedland Social and Environmental Justice Fund Community Giving Fund |
| Make-A-Wish Wisconsin | LACF Makes Wishes Come True Project | $7,500 | Ostreng Fund for Children La Crosse Foundation Trust- Donald A. Gordon Robert & Eleanor Franke Charitable Fund |
| Pump House Regional Arts Center | Artspire La Crosse 2024 | $7,500 | Fund for the Arts Maureen L. Kinney Fund Community Giving Fund |
| The Parenting Place | Diapers for Strong Families | $7,500 | Kerbaugh Family Fund Rudy & Jean Schnurrer Fund Ostreng Fund for Children |
| La Crosse Area Veterans Mentor Program | Annual Training for Treatment Court Professionals | $7,478 | Dr. Frank Furlano Family Fund Robert & Eleanor Franke Charitable Fund |
| GROW La Crosse Inc. | Strategic Growth Planning for Sustainability | $7,240 | Myrick Hixon EcoPark Fund An Anonymous Fund |
| Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center | Trail & Goat Prairie Rehab | $7,000 | Community Giving Fund |
| Shoefly Empowered, Inc. | Shoefly's Shoes for Kids! Program | $6,343 | Harold E. Lemke Fund PMJ Fund |
| La Crosse Lions Charities | Hearing Screening for Children | $6,000 | Harold E. Lemke Fund Robert & Eleanor Franke Charitable Fund |
| The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association | Quality of Life Grants for Individuals Living with ALS | $6,000 | Robert & Eleanor Franke Charitable Fund |
| School District of La Crosse | Sensory Enrichment Library | $5,857 | Ostreng Fund for Children |
| Da Capo Concert Band | Da Capo Legacy Grant | $5,000 | Community Giving Fund |
| Heart2Heart Pet Lifeline, Inc. | Healthy Pets, Healthy Community | $5,000 | Kerbaugh Family Fund Animal Welfare Fund Aka Kitty Cat and Puppy Dog Fund Norman L. Gillette, Sr. Family Fund |
| Junior Achievement of Wisconsin Coulee Region | Work Readiness Summer Pilot | $5,000 | Margery J. Stansfield Fund |
| Kids From Wisconsin Ltd. | Kids From Wisconsin - Larger Than Life, La Crosse | $5,000 | Community Giving Fund |
| Northern Hills PTO | Playground Shade Grant | $5,000 | Ostreng Fund for Children PMJ Fund |
| Consumer Credit Counseling of La Crosse | Building Financial Stability by Reducing Stress | $4,937 | Susan M. Quillin Fund |
| Lightning Lacrosse | Keeping Lacrosse in La Crosse | $4,635 | National Youth Sports Program Fund |
| Central High School Band Association | Central Marching Band Uniform Project | $3,750 | The Anthony Fund Community Giving Fund |
| Seven Rivers Robotics Coalition, Inc. | FIRST Robotics Competition for 2023-24 | $3,500 | Margery J. Stansfield Fund |
| La Crosse Chamber Chorale Inc. | Festival of Voices | $3,300 | Lenna Campbell Fund |
| Rising Athletes | Adaptive Sports League Equipment | $3,065 | Coulee Region White Cane Club Fund National Youth Sports Program Fund |
| WI FIRST Robotics, Inc. | FIRST Robotics Seven Rivers Regional | $2,900 | Lois I. Rehfuss Fund |
| La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation | Belonging & Mattering Institute | $2,500 | Community Giving Fund |
| La Crosse Jazz Orchestra | ft. Deborah Brown, int'l jazz singer | $2,250 | Community Giving Fund |
| Sustainability Institute | 2024 Green Goose Chase | $1,500 | Myrick Hixon EcoPark Fund |
| Holmen High School Thorobotics Team | Holmen High School Thorobotics | $500 | Lois I. Rehfuss Fund |
| La Crosse Fire Department | Mugs for Rugs La Crosse | $500 | Ostreng Fund for the Elderly |