2026 updated guidelines are live! Click here to learn more. Cycle 1 applications are due March 1.

OVERVIEW & ELIGIBILITY

An important part of the Winona Community Foundation’s mission is realized though awarding community grants to Winona area non-profits to help meet the ever-changing needs of our community through a competitive grant process. Be sure to read information thoroughly prior to calling staff to review your grant application idea.

Who can apply:

  • Charitable organizations with a 501(c)(3), government agencies, or organizations with a fiscal agent agreement with a 501(c)(3) organization, operating within the Winona area.

Who cannot apply:

  • Nonprofits that have received funding from the Foundation’s Community Grant Program but have not submitted their final grant report
  • Nonprofits who have received Community Grant Program funding within the same calendar year

Exclusions:

  • Activities that are non-secular or promote a religious doctrine
  • Academic or medical research
  • Annual fundraising campaigns or events
  • Creation of, or addition to, endowment funds
  • Payment of debt or legal settlements
  • Political or partisan purposes
  • Capital improvements or additions to public or private educational institutions
  • Funding of capital campaigns
  • Funding for school/classroom supplies, equipment for educational institutions
  • Grants that provide direct support to an individual or one-time experiences to individuals such as camps or field trips
  • Projects that are already in progress or have already been completed

GRANT APPLICATION

Reviewed all guidelines and completed your screening call? Apply here!

FINAL GRANT REPORT

If you received a community grant and have completed your project, please complete a final report according to your grant agreement.

GRANT TYPES OFFERED

Grant Type Option 1

CAPACITY BUILDING REQUEST

Eligible nonprofits may request up to $15,000 to support new projects, programs or equipment, or expansion of current programs that will enhance or grow an organization.

Read full requirements 

Grant Type Option 2

SUSTAINING REQUEST

Eligible nonprofits may request up to $5,000 to provide sustaining support for operations and programming, or bridge funding.
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Read full requirements

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Review all guidelines and FAQs.

  • Schedule and complete a screening call.

    • All applicants must schedule and complete a screening call with Mandi Olson, President/CEO prior to application.
    • The screening call must include a staff person or board member of the organization. If using a contracted grant writer, we require a staff person or board member be present from the organization the grant writer is representing during the screening call.
    • Screening calls should be completed during regular business hours between February 3 and February 24, 2026. A new screening call must be completed each time an organization applies for a community grant.

  • Submit an application.

    • The application will ask that you attach a separate document containing your budget and list of your organization’s board members.
    • Deadline: All application materials must be submitted by March 1, 2026.

After the deadline, our Grant Committee to carefully review each application, meet to discuss and evaluate the applications, and have the selected organizations approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors within one month of the application deadline. All applicants will receive notification of their individual grant prior to the announcement.

While the committee aims to grant to as many organizations as possible, the requested funds far outweigh available dollars. Overall, about half of grant requests are able to be funded per cycle.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For our general competitive Community Grant program, we look for proposals that focus on addressing critical needs or opportunities in the greater Winona area. This can be project, program or equipment based but the request must fit within the current scope of a nonprofit’s mission. The proposal will be evaluated on the need/opportunity identified, its intended impact and reach, feasibility of the financial plan/budget, and the community benefit.

Just like we promote giving locally, we also want to grant locally. Priority is given to nonprofit project and program applications where the dollars spent benefit our area.

The following proposal types will be considered but are less likely to be funded:

  1. Marketing and awareness campaigns
  2. Repeat requests for programs that have been previously funded with a community grant
  3. Event ticket subsidies

The window for applications opens twice per year:

Cycle 1 opens February 1 and applications are due March 1.

Cycle 2 opens August 1 and applications are due September 1.

Organizations are welcome to apply as often as they’d like, however, the committee will only fund a maximum of one grant request per calendar year*. Additionally, in order for an organization’s grant request to be considered, that organization cannot have any outstanding grant reports that are not yet completed.

*FUNDED FOR THREE, PAUSE FOR ONE: Any nonprofit that has received a community grant for three calendar years in a row, will be ineligible for the fourth year to apply. Nonprofits can apply again in year 5 and the 3-year funded cycle will restart. The Foundation staff will monitor this and inform a nonprofit if they need to pause from applying. This process will include grants from field of interest funds (such as Donna Helble or Connect People to Nature fund). This process will begin in 2026, and the lookback will be from 2025 granting and forward. This means the first time it may affect an applicant (to pause) would be during the 2028 grant year. This is to broaden the reach of our funding and improve equitable opportunities.

The Winona Community Foundation does not fund completed projects.

We define this area as within the City of Winona and approximately fifteen-mile radius from Winona. This includes Wisconsin and programs that have operations in Winona but may have their headquarters elsewhere.

Every year we receive requests totaling far more money than we have to disburse. Overall, about 40% of grant requests are able to be funded per cycle. Decisions about grant awards are always difficult; increased need and reduced funding everywhere have made the process even more competitive. We are always happy to discuss your request with you and comments that the Committee may have made related to why the project ranked lower, but in many cases a request is denied simply because we don’t have enough money to fund all worthwhile projects.

For more information, please contact Mandi Olson at 507-454-6511, wcf@winonacf.org, or visit our office at 111 Riverfront, Suite 2 E.


FUNDING SOURCES

Funds to support the Community Grant program are made possible through funds held at the Winona Community Foundation including the Community Impact Endowment Fund. Funds are also made possible in part through gifts made through wills from; Carol A. Orlowske, Ramona L. Jezewski English and Wilmer & Beverly Larson. Finally, community grants are supported by individual donors and a percentage of Board designated funds including: the Thomas H. Laken Fund, the Sue & Jack Cornwell Fund, and the General Trust fund of the Winona Community Foundation.

Additionally, some grant requests may be funded through the Foundation’s field of interest funds. Nonprofits don’t apply directly to these special funds; rather, our committee may decide that a request fits the purpose of one of the funds listed below. A request could be matched with a field of interest fund and also receive dollars from our regular pool of grant money, but the total granted amount will not exceed our grant max as stated in our guidelines.

Available Cycle 1 2026

Applicants seeking funding that supports programs, equipment, and activities designed to get people outdoors and connect with their natural surroundings. Examples of grants include providing programming that guides people in nature and its settings, improving access to public land by acquiring easements, improved signage, and equipment. The original donor hopes others will join him in encouraging people to connect to nature. Click here to learn more.

Available Cycle 1 2026

Applicants seeking funding that supports youth literacy may receive funding through the Donna Helble Literacy Fund. The purpose of this fund is to provide grants organizations or projects that support youth literacy in Winona. To learn more about Donna’s passions and generous gift, click here.

QUESTIONS?

We’re here to help you!

wcf@winonacf.org
507-454-6511



PAST GRANT RECIPIENTS

2025

2024

2023

2022