Community Vision Fund- Visionary Grants

NOTE: Applications Opens February 23 and Closes October 31; Rolling applications reviewed and responded to by the following month.
Background
The Community Vision Fund (CVF) is an unrestricted fund within the Community Foundation with the ability to be agile due to its discretionary nature. ​​Granting through this fund remains committed to fulfilling community needs and advancing the well-being for all in Calumet, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, and the Neenah-Menasha area of Winnebago counties.
Focus:
Visionary grants support community-driven ideas that emerge from lived experience and grassroots leadership. They are designed to elevate voices with lived experience, encourage innovation and experimentation, and support early stage or non-traditional approaches. ​
​Grant Ranges:

• Grant awards will range from $5,000 to $10,000 for a one-year award​
• ​Grant Considerations:
• In alignment with the namesake of this fund, visionary grants are focused on supporting:​

Community-driven ideas shaped by lived experience​Efforts that test new approaches, pilot emerging ideas, or explore creative solutions​Initiatives that are just beginning or evolving but show promise for community benefit​Projects where there is potential for shared learning, community strengthening, or systems insights

Eligibility

An organization must be able to demonstrate service to and within our geographical scope of Calumet, Outagamie, Shawano, and Waupaca, and the Neenah-Menasha area of Winnebago counties in order to be considered for funding from the Community Vision Fund.  Organizations eligible to receive grants from the Foundation are generally those determined by the IRS to be public charities. Most charitable, scientific, social service, educational, and religious organizations described in Section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) of the tax code, as well as private operating foundations. (The Foundation will not typically make grants to private non-operating foundations.)Grants may also be made to government entities and instrumentalities (this includes schools, municipalities, and Native American tribal governments) for public purposes.Organizations that do not fall in these categories are generally ineligible unless they apply through a fiscal sponsor.  In some circumstances, grants may be made to other types of organizations as long as the grant is restricted and structured for charitable purposes.