Impact Grants Update – January 2025

About the Grants

From dance to polka or meeting friends at a jazz festival to supporting children of all abilities in their annual performance or attending an introductory opera program, community arts grants bring the vibrancy to our community that we all crave. Artistic expression enriches life in so many ways, which is why we are grateful for the generosity of our donors and the B.A. and Esther Greenheck Foundation, who make these grants possible. Our community’s arts scene is strong—together, we keep it that way!

Grant Recipients

• Birnamwood Polka Days Inc. | $1,000 for a three-day polka music festival, a free community event.
• Center for Visual Arts | $5,000 for their Guest Curator Program, elevating underrepresented voices by inviting and investing in guest curators to coordinate exhibitions. This year, the CVA hosts Indigenous artist Josie Hoffman as its guest curator.
• CenterStage Band and Show Choir | $5,000 to bring "Hits from Across the Pond" to north-central Wisconsin via their annual free concert at the historic Grand Theatre in Wausau, featuring a live concert band, exceptional vocals, and energetic choreography.
• Children’s Theatre of Central Wisconsin, Inc. | $5,000 to fund the production of *Madagascar: The Musical*, kicking off the 2025–2026 season. The show will attract actors aged 8 to 18 and families from across central Wisconsin.
• Central Wisconsin Educational Theatre Alliance | $5,000 for *Stage & Summer*, their 24/7 musical theatre immersion initiative and summer workshop opportunities. Participants experience social-emotional growth while building creative skills and community connections through artistic engagement.
• Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra | $3,000 for two educational programs: the Dorothy Vetter Memorial Educational Concerts for fourth-grade students and the Central Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra program, both of which actively engage and inspire students.
• Edgar Elementary School | $2,000 to host the Missoula Children’s Theatre for a week-long residency. Students will perform in a full musical production, with community performances at the end of the residency.
• Festival of Arts, Inc. | $5,000 toward their annual festival in downtown Wausau, promoting, encouraging, and empowering artists of all kinds.
• HELLO | $3,900 to host their 2nd Anniversary Cultural Celebration, *Ritmo y Sabor*, a one-day event celebrating Latino heritage with live Latin music, folkloric dance, interactive cultural games, art displays, and food vendors.
• Indian Society of Central Wisconsin, Inc | $5,000 for their annual *Diwali Community Celebration*, uniting a diverse group of attendees for an evening of culture, food, and entertainment.
• Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum | $5,000 for the monumental exhibition *“Tiffany or Ti-phony? A Story of Desire,”* created by the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. Featuring forty-five Tiffany lamps, it is the largest traveling exhibition from the Neustadt to date and will debut at the museum in January 2026.
• Marathon County Public Library | $5,000 to host the 2025 *Central Wisconsin Book Festival*, consisting of 20–25 book events in Wausau, Stevens Point, and Wisconsin Rapids.
• Penguin Project of Central Wisconsin | $5,000 to purchase staging for their 2025 show, *Bugsy Malone Jr.* The Penguin Project creates theater opportunities for children with a range of abilities, with volunteers helping “penguins” put on an annual performance.
• Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. | $5,000 to welcome pianist Robin Spielberg to the Grand Theater in April 2026. The artist will lead workshops, masterclasses, and outreach events, offering students and community members opportunities to engage with her craft and learn about music and mental health.
• River Valley Jazz Society | $5,000 to host a five-week summer series of free jazz concerts on Sundays in July and August 2026 at Kickbusch Plaza in downtown Wausau.
• South Beach Chamber Ensemble | $4,500 toward their nineteenth anniversary celebration, featuring three chamber music concerts: *Mozart on the Move* (a family-friendly program with a high school string quartet), a concert featuring Arriaga and Orbón string quartets, and a concert featuring Haydn, Shostakovich, and Chaminade piano trios.
• Summit Players Theatre | $1,250 for the *Summer in the State Parks Tour*, hosting free public Shakespeare workshops and performances throughout Wisconsin in June and July 2025, including a performance at Rib Mountain State Park.
• University of Wisconsin Stevens Point | $4,350 for their opera outreach program in north-central Wisconsin, offering free public and student performances to introduce opera to a wider audience. Funding covers production costs, student fees, and educational materials.
• UWSP at Wausau | $5,000 for its 11th annual *Vocal Jazz Festival*, bringing a professional vocal jazz group to campus for a two-day residency. Guest artists work with students from UWSP and across the upper Midwest, culminating in a public performance in Wausau.

Funding Partners

These grants are made possible through a partnership with the B.A. Esther Greenheck Foundation, along with contributions from hundreds of donors to the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin. All gifts help bring community-brightening visions to life in Marathon County.

Anyone can directly donate to the Wausau Marathon County Fund or establish their own impact fund, such as the Named Fund for Wausau Marathon County. Both options are designed to grow over time and accept gifts of cash, stocks, retirement assets, or bequests.

Named Funds for Wausau Marathon County

• Otto S. and Esther M. Holmskug | Silver | 1994
• Clarion G. and Irene B. Sternberg | Bronze | 2002
• Orville and Geraldine Peterson Family | Bronze | 2004
• Caroline S. Mark | Platinum | 2005
• Marvin C. and Ruth (Rudie) J. Schuette | Platinum | 2009
• Nils Folke Jr. & Jean B. Becker | Platinum | 2013
• Edward & Lois Drott | Platinum | 2016
• James and Susan Lundberg | Gold | 2017
• Tom and Marilyn Kraemer | Silver | 2023
• William and Juliana Franzen | Silver | 2024
• Wausau Business Fair | Granite | 2024
• Harvey H. Scholfield Jr. Family | Granite | 2024
• Jim and Jan Kemerling Family | Silver | 2025
• Sue Nelson Legacy Fund | Granite | 2025
• Mark and Rita Yaeger | Granite | 2025
• Mary and Bill Mahony | Granite | 2025
• Dennis and Bonnie Mealy | Quartz | 2025

Giving Levels

• Diamond | $2,000,000 or more
• Platinum | $1,000,000 to $1,999,999
• Gold | $500,000 to $999,999
• Silver | $250,000 to $499,999
• Bronze | $100,000 to $249,999
• Quartz | $50,000 to $99,999
• Granite | $10,000 to $49,999