Making an Impact

The mission of Storm Sporting Events is to promote health and wellness while raising awareness of youth and mental health. In 2023, Storm Sporting Events received a $5,000 Cycle 2 community grant from the Winona Community Foundation. As a direct result of this funding, the organization was able to hold the kid's triathlon in Winona. Earlier that year, Storm Sporting Events took on the legacy of the Trinona triathlon after its previous owners made [...]

Empowering Youth: Presenting the 2024 Founders Award On October 8, 2024, the Winona Community Foundation awarded the members of the BK5K Road Race Planning Committee with the Founders Award. The award honors an individual or group in our community who has demonstrated and extraordinary commitment to improving life in Winona through the use of their time, talent, and treasure. 2024 marks the 20th year the award has been given to a member [...]

Winona Community Foundation Awards $71,972 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 the [...]

It is an honor for the Winona Community Foundation to award the members of the BK5k Road Race Planning Committee with the 2024 Founders Award. Each year, the award honors an individual or group in our community who has demonstrated and extraordinary commitment to improving life in Winona through the use of their time, talent, and treasure. 2024 marks the 20th year the award has been given to a member of our community. [...]

In 2012, the Winona Community Foundation was informed that they were named a beneficiary of the Wilmer L. Larson and Beverly A. Larson last will and testament and a generous gift arrived shortly after worth $245,000. The Board of Directors was given discretion to use it for the benefit of the Winona area. At the time, the Foundation was coming out of losses and changes from the 2008 recession. During that uncertain time in [...]

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 founded [...]

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, [...]