Wisconsin Public Service Foundation: Local Community Grant Program

Wisconsin Public Service Foundation: Local Community Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Wisconsin Public Service Foundation
Last Updated: March 17, 2026

Summary

The Wisconsin Public Service Foundation offers Local Community Grants to support initiatives that enhance community development, health, arts, education, and the environment. Nonprofit organizations in the service areas are eligible for funding. The foundation emphasizes partnerships that promote educational opportunities and community improvement. With a history of providing financial support since 1964, the foundation encourages projects that engage local residents and foster collaboration among diverse groups. Preference is given to specific programs or projects that align with their mission.

Overview

Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) supports initiatives for community and neighborhood development, health and human services, arts and culture, education and environment. The company matches its employees’ charitable giving to those initiatives and also conducts an annual workplace giving campaign for the United Way. Financial support is provided to the activities of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations in communities served by WPS. Most of the charitable support is through the WPS Foundation, funded by stockholders of WEC Energy Group. Contributions are made in the following categories: Arts & Culture: Arts and culture add to the richness of life in our communities. We support projects that promote diversity and make the arts accessible to all people. This includes theater, dance, music and museums.Community & Neighborhood Development: Communities become stronger when neighbors work together. We support nonprofit organizations dedicated to community improvement.Education: Lifelong learning helps ensure a strong future for our communities and their economies. We contribute to programs that complement our company's educational programs and philosophies, including opportunities for minorities and women. We support partnerships between businesses and educational institutions, career planning and youth mentorship.Environment: As a company, we protect and encourage the wise use of natural resources. We also support others' efforts for the betterment of fish and wildlife, water and air quality, forests, energy efficiency, renewable energy and recycling.Human Services & Health: The physical and emotional well-being of everyone in our communities is a measure of the health of the communities. We support programs that serve limited-income, senior and handicapped individuals, and those emphasizing wellness. History WPS Foundation was incorporated in 1964, funded with paper company stocks and bonds repurchased by WPS in the late 1920s. The transfer of the certificates, accomplished over a four-year period, gave the foundation a financial base of $2 million. The resulting tax credits increased the value of WPS stock by $.20 per share, and gave the company a consistent means of contributing to charitable, educational and scientific organizations. Over the past 30 years, the foundation's stocks and bonds were redeemed, and the money has been used to buy mutual funds. The foundation is a strong supporter of capital projects, the United Way and start-up programs in communities served by the four energy companies in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. Each region the energy companies serve has a Contributions Committee of local employees from a cross-section of departments. Donation requests for a region are sent to the region's Contributions Committee, which reviews the requests based on the needs and issues in the community.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Qualified charitable, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, per Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Code guidelinesLocated in the area served by our respective energy companyFocused on one of our funding areas: Community and neighborhood development Arts and culture Health and human services Education Environment

Ineligibility

Not eligibleIndividualsFraternal, religious or political organizationsTrips, tours, pageants or athleticsTeam, extra-curricular school events or student exchange programsOrganizations located outside our service areas, unless funding a specific project delivered directly to our customer communitiesOrganizations determined by the IRS to be not tax-exempt under 501(c)(3)Organizations that discriminate for any reason, including race, color, religion, creed, age, gender, national origin or sexual orientationPrivate FoundationsWe rarely provide operating funds to individual United Way agencies that already benefit from our donations to United Way.