Funding available for community project
By Robert Cloud
Tim and Joy Neuville are looking for an innovative community project to help fund.
Their Forward Together Grant offers up to $50,000 to a nonprofit organization that serves communities in Waupaca County.
“I am hoping to see a great response and a difference-making amount of money that can be seen and felt in our area,” Tim Neuville said.
He noted that the Waupaca Area Community Foundation (WACF) has donated more than $600,000 to community projects since its inception in 2003.
“Scholarships, health screenings, food distribution and shelter support, along with money to help those being bullied or having depression or even suicidal issues, are groups we have supported,” Neuville said, regarding WACF grants. “I am very proud to be a part of the foundation that Dr. Jack Rhodes got going here.”
He said the WACF’s grants have been capped at $7,500 in the past.
“Now, that amount can and has made a difference in many situations but I would love to get to the point of having a sizeable grant every year here in Waupaca,” Neuville said.
Neuville is the chairman of the WACF board this year and he wants to see what community needs can be met if larger grants are made available.
Forward Together Grant applicants will be evaluated on their program’s long-term impact and innovative thinking.
The Tim and Joy Neuville Family Fund is working with the Waupaca Area Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region to review the grant applications.
Nonprofit organizations, including religious groups, are eligible to apply.
Applicants should provide detailed plans that assure their project’s success and sustainability.
Leadership with a proven record of success and collaborative partnerships will also be considered.
Neuville said the Forward Together Grant is open to a wide variety of proposals, from responding to the heroin crisis to revitalizing downtown.
Building projects, program expansions and capital campaigns are eligible.
The grant will not fund travel expenses, conference fees, fundraisers, multiyear requests, endowment funds, previously incurred expenses or initiatives that do not serve Waupaca County.
Forward Together began accepting applications for grants on March 1. The deadline is May 1.
The winner of the grant will be announced at the WACF gala in June.
Go to https://www.cffoxvalley.org/partners/our-partner-funds/waupaca-area-community-foundation/ for more information and a link to the Forward Together Grant application or contact Ann Engelhard at [email protected] or 920-702-7627.