Making an Impact

Pictured from left to right: Kevin O'Reilly and Nancy Brown. The Winona Community Foundation hosted its 4th Annual Charity Golf Outing on June 28th, 2024 at the Bridges Golf Course in Winona. Twenty-four teams teed off to help raise funds for the Foundation’s Community Grant Program, which directly benefits non-profit organizations in the Winona area. The event raised more than $36,000 from its collective 33 sponsors which will go back into the [...]

Home & Community Options (HCO) received a $5,985 Cycle 1 community grant from the Winona Community Foundation in 2023. As a result of this funding, HCO was able to offer a series of workshops that provided education and training to anyone in our community who is caring for their friends, neighbors, and loved ones. It is HCO's mission to provide support and residential services to people with developmental disabilities in order to enable individuals [...]

Winona Community Foundation Awards $57,601 to Local Nonprofits An important part of the Winona Community Foundation’s mission is realized though awarding community grants to meet the ever-changing needs of the community through a competitive process. By doing so, a variety of interests are supported with the goal of helping local charities make a difference in the Winona area. Our community grants for nonprofits are broad and inclusive to meet [...]

Members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center with the Impact Grant check. The Winona Community Foundation awarded a $100,000 Impact Grant to Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center (HVMHC) on Friday, March 1. Made possible by generous contributions from the community and from strong fiscal oversight, this is the first time the Foundation has awarded a grant of this size from its unrestricted funds since it was [...]

National Standards Accreditation Upholds Our Commitment to Excellence Winona Community Foundation has recently renewed its accreditation with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®—the highest standards for philanthropic excellence. The Winona Community Foundation is pleased to announce that we have recently renewed our accreditation with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®. This accreditation, signified by the Seal shown on the right, indicates that Winona Community Foundation continues to meet the highest standards for [...]

Lewiston Volunteer Ambulance received a $4,883 Cycle 1 Community Grant from the Winona Community Foundation in 2023. These dollars supported their education program that provides Emergency Medicine Technicians (EMTs) with valuable experience and real-world techniques needed in the field. Yearly, Lewiston Volunteer Ambulance responds to over 200 calls and covers a 125 square mile area. Because of the community grant they received, they have been able to purchase simulation training equipment for students to [...]

Dear Donors and Community Members, I trust this letter finds you well.  As 2023 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the increased impact the Winona Community Foundation is having in the broader community.  And I know that is happening because generous people like you invest in the Foundation and its mission. Your collective contributions serve as an everlasting stream of resources that flow back into the community, [...]

On October 10th, 2023, the Winona Community Foundation was proud to honor Pat and Jerry Papenfuss with the 2023 Founders Award, which honors individuals who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to improving life in the Winona area through the use of their time, talent, and treasure. Individuals selected to receive the award have the opportunity to grant $8,000 dollars from the Founders Endowment Fund to the charity of their choice. Pat and Jerry Papenfuss [...]

Update 02/21/2024: The Winona Community Foundation will be holding a press conference to award $100,000 to a local non-profit organization. We invite you to attend on Friday, March 1st at 10AM at the Foundation office at 111 Riverfront Suite 2E in Winona or watch the live stream on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/WinonaCF. About the Impact Grant In its efforts to inspire generosity and greater community giving, the Winona Community Foundation will be awarding an [...]

Winona Community Foundation Awards $64,241 to Local Nonprofits An important part of the Winona Community Foundation’s mission is realized through awarding community grants to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. Since the program’s inception, it has become an essential asset for local Winona area nonprofits. By the September 1st deadline, the Foundation received 32 applications requesting more than $218,000 in funding. The Foundation’s grant committee was challenged to select [...]

In 2022, the Winona Outdoor Collaborative received a $5,000 Cycle 2 Community Grant from the Connect People to Nature fund of the Winona Community Foundation, which supports programs, equipment, and activities designed to get people of all ages outdoors and connect with their natural surroundings. This grant enabled the Winona Outdoor Collaborative to host their environmental education program that seeks to increase access to the outdoors for students who typically [...]

The Frozen River Film Festival offers programs that engage, educate and activate viewers to become involved in the world. In 2022, the organization received a $4,329 Cycle 2 Community Grant from the Winona Community Foundation. The Foundation's grant helped fund Frozen River Film Festival's mission of offering educational summer filmmaking camps to youth, teens, and their parents. This summer, they held two filmmaking camps: a two-week camp for high school [...]