David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund

Gift Amount: Estate gift of more than $100 million (established 2018)

Geographic Scope: Primarily Fox Cities and Green Bay areas in northeast Wisconsin

Focus Areas:

• Parks, recreation and waterways
• Education
• Health care
• Community services and community centers
• Historic preservation, including lighthouses, museums and historical societies
• Other areas of family interest (as recommended by fund's advisory committee)

Background:
An estate gift of more than $100 million from David L. Nelson (born in Kaukauna, WI; lived in De Pere, WI) and his wife Rita (born in Janesville, WI) to the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. David was a former media executive who helped manage companies publishing newspapers in Appleton and Green Bay, and invested in radio stations and other businesses. Rita was a teacher. They were married for 73 years and died within five months of each other (Rita on February 16, 2017, at age 93; David on July 18, 2017, at age 96).

This is among the largest gifts in Wisconsin's history and was large enough to have ranked among the top 20 gifts nationally reported by the Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2017. It is by far the largest gift to the Community Foundation in its 32-year history, surpassing a $16 million estate gift in 2004 from Donald and Violet Himebaugh.

Grantmaking:

• The Nelson Family Fund is a permanent, donor-advised endowment
• Awards grants to charitable organizations reflecting charitable interests of David and Rita Nelson and their family
• No application process — grants are determined by the fund's advisory committee working closely with Community Foundation staff
• Advisory committee comprised of people who know the Nelson family
• Endowment formula allows distribution of up to 4.5% of fund balance annually
• Expected to award $4.5 million per year by 2021

First Grants: $3.5 million awarded in initial grants (announced May 1, 2018) to eight recipients
Annual Grants: Additional grants awarded annually beginning summer 2019

Sample Major Grants Awarded:

• Nelson Crossing (Nelson Family Heritage Crossing) - 1,100-foot bicycle and pedestrian bridge between Heesakker Park in Village of Little Chute and rail trail connection to Downtown Kaukauna
• Niagara Escarpment projects
• Shipwrecks! project - 60-minute documentary, interactive K-12 educational game, and virtual reality experience about Great Lakes shipwrecks
• Range Light Restoration
• "Loop the Locks" project - $650,000 grant