Community Enhancement Grant Update – Oct. 2023

About the Grants

Community Enhancement Grants, including those made from our Wausau Marathon County Fund, support nearly every area of life for people of all ages throughout Marathon County, including the arts, education, health and human services, and resource preservation. When donors give to our unrestricted fund, their gifts are invested into our community endowment, known as the Wausau Marathon County Fund. Grants are taken from earnings, allowing the fund to provide grants into perpetuity—think of it like a savings account where you only spend its interest. This makes it our preferred giving option.

Nonprofits serving the community submit grant applications to request financial support for their important and unique goals. In the first three quarters of 2023, grants totaling $486,100 were awarded. With $151,000 distributed in the September cycle, an additional $168,000 remains available for the final cycle of the year. The application deadline is November 27.

For more information or to discuss a proposal, contact Sue Nelson, Vice President of Programs and Donor Services, at sue@cfoncw.org or (715) 845-9555.

Grant Recipients by Category

Health and Human Services – $234,000

• Stable Hands, Inc. | $25,000 for their “Building a Stable Future” capital campaign | Nils Folke Jr. and Jean B. Becker Legacy
• West Elm Inn | $10,000 for outdoor experiences and mobility for all | James and Susan Lundberg Fund and Clarion G. and Irene B. Sternberg Fund
• Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes | $5,000 to initiate the Adventures of the Go program | Folke Jr. and Jean B. Becker Legacy and Caroline S. Mark Legacy Fund
• Healthy Network | $100,000 for a mental health clinic | Wausau-Marathon County Fund
• Village of Spencer | $15,000 for pickleball courts | Wausau-Marathon County Fund
• Wausau Nordic Ski Club | $11,000 for ski outreach expansion | Marvin and Ruth (Rudie) Schuette Fund
• Central Wisconsin Water Ski Team | $10,000 for equipment trailer upgrade | Nils Folke Jr. and Jean B. Becker Legacy Fund
• Extra Innings Nonprofit Corporation | $1,000 for Celebration of Life | Marvin and Ruth (Rudie) Schuette Fund
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northcentral Wisconsin | $30,000 for furnishing the new mentoring center | Caroline S. Mark Legacy Fund
• Community Partners Campus | $22,000 for solar energy addition to facility | Wausau-Marathon County Fund
• Protect Area Teens | $5,000 for retaining wall reconstruction | George L. Geisler Trust Fund

Resource Preservation – $201,100

• Central Mosinee Chapter of the Ice Age Trail | $2,500 to fund the Trail Community designation for Wausau and Hatley | James and Susan Lundberg Fund
• Central Wisconsin Off-Road Cycling Coalition | $6,100 for winter trail grooming equipment | Orville and Geraldine Peterson Family Trust Fund
• City of Wausau | $50,000 toward the River Edge Parkway southwest and northeast extensions project | Wausau Marathon County Fund and Marvin and Ruth (Rudie) Schuette Fund
• Marathon County Historical Society | $2,500 toward the obsolete media data rescue center project | Caroline S. Mark Legacy Fund and Orville and Geraldine Peterson Family Trust Fund
• Rebro Mountain Shooters | $15,000 toward their building renovation and addition project | Nils Folke Jr. and Jean B. Becker Legacy
• Robert W. Monk Gardens | $25,000 toward Phase I of the planned Garden enhancements | Edward and Lois Drott Legacy Fund
• Wausau Moose Lodge #248 | $10,000 toward the Centennial Building Rehabilitation capital campaign | Nils Folke Jr. and Jean B. Becker Legacy Fund and Edward and Lois Drott Legacy Fund
• Wausome | $50,000 for community connection 3-year start-up funding | Wausau-Marathon County Fund ($25,000) and Edward and Lois Drott Legacy Fund ($25,000)
• Progress Athens, Inc. | $25,000 for community hall renovations | Wausau-Marathon County Fund
• Town of Ringle | $15,000 for park development near town hall | Marvin and Ruth (Rudie) Schuette Fund

Arts – $26,000

• Common Art | $25,000 for art grants | Wausau-Marathon County Fund
• CenterStage Band and Show Choir | $1,000 for community outreach enhancements | George L. Geisler Trust Fund

Education – $25,000

• Beyond Pencils and Crayons Fund | $25,000 for grants to be awarded in the 2023-24 school year | Wausau-Marathon County Fund

About the Wausau-Marathon County Fund

• It is a permanent community endowment; the principal remains intact to meet the evolving needs of Marathon County for generations to come.
• Every gift is meaningful and helps create a better community for all.
• The fund was established in 1987.
• It awards approximately $400,000 annually.
• Anyone can donate at any time, in any amount.

Benefits of Donating Through Us

• Maximum tax advantages beyond those available to private foundations.
• Donors can choose full recognition or complete anonymity.
• We accept gifts in many forms.
• Contributions directly improve the vitality and quality of life in your community.
• We are here forever, ensuring lasting impact.