Making an Impact

Engage Winona's Lived Experienced Leaders group members. “[People] might feel like they don’t have the power by themselves to make a difference, but everybody really does.” – Lived Experience Leader Participant Engage Winona received a $10,000 Cycle 2 Community Grant from the Winona Community Foundation in 2021. This grant funded a project called Lived Experienced Leaders. This project is a mentorship and leadership program that trains and supports [...]

Platinum Seal Awarded to the Winona Community Foundation The Winona Community Foundation is pleased to announce that we have recently earned the 2022 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by Candid (formally known as GuideStar). To reach the Platinum level, the Winona Community Foundation added extensive information to its Candid Nonprofit Profile: basic contact and organizational information; in-depth financial information; qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities; and quantitative [...]

By Mandi Olson, Finance Director at the Winona Community Foundation Whether or not you like to crunch numbers and review financial statements, accounting and finance are a necessary part of all businesses. As a public charity, we at the Foundation take our fiduciary responsibility very seriously. Our four-person board appointed finance committee reviews financial statements in detail monthly and reports back to the full board at its monthly meeting. The finance committee also meets [...]

Thank you to the donors, nonprofit partners, fund holders, and the community who give back in many ways to create positive change for all. As we present this annual report to you, we do so acknowledging that 2021, while a better year for most, was still a challenge for many. We choose to celebrate the many positives that emerged from these challenges. Through your generosity, and that of our many fund holders [...]

Gamehaven Council: T-4 Fly Fishing for Gills “We learned that making events more accessible by covering program costs helped families participate and helped our retention of youth in scouting.” – Arne Landsverk, Assistant Scout Executive/COO at Gamehaven Council Gamehaven Council of Boy Scouts of American received a $3,300 Cycle 2 Community Grant from the Winona Community Foundation in 2021. This grant covered the activity fees for 50 youth [...]

Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center Grant “We truly appreciate this partnership… capitol purchases such as these are often delayed due to a lack of accessible funds, but are essential to the health, safety, and well-being of those we serve.” Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center received a $3,800 Cycle 1 Community Grant from the Winona Community Foundation in 2022. This grant supported external safety monitoring at their four group home locations. The addition [...]

The Winona Daily News partnered with the Winona Community Foundation in 2021 to establish a new fund, the Above and Beyond Scholarship Fund, to provide annual scholarships to Winona-area high school seniors who have overcome obstacles or provided exemplary service to others. “We’re proud of our ongoing determination to recognize local high school students who inspire and motivate all who know their stories of strength and perseverance,” said Paul Pehler, president of River Valley [...]

The Winona Community Foundation Announces New Affiliate: Goodview Community Foundation The Winona Community Foundation is excited to announce a new Affiliate community foundation - the Goodview Community Foundation. This newly formed partnership will continue our efforts to be catalyst for igniting generosity. As an affiliate of the Winona Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, the Goodview Community Foundation will benefit from centralized professional services, including financial, administrative, marketing, and community insights [...]

Islamic Center of Winona Grant "We are pleased to report that all feedback from the guests was very positive. Many of them made donations on their way out to help the refugees," stated by council member Ahmed El-Afandi. The Islamic Center of Winona received a Winona Community Foundation Community Grant Cycle 1 in April of 2022. The organization received $1,500. The grant supported a hosted dinner on April 30th that introduced new [...]

The Winona Daily News partnered with the Winona Community Foundation in 2021 to establish a new fund, the Above and Beyond Scholarship Fund, to provide annual scholarships to Winona-area high school seniors who have overcome obstacles or provided exemplary service to others.WNB Financial is supporting the Above and Beyond Scholarship program with a challenge contribution of $10,000. This contribution will help fund some of this year’s scholarship recipients and will also contribute to future scholarships [...]

Home and Community Options Grant “With this grant, HCO was able to supply our programs with the necessary tools that allowed us to continue to perform daily routines safely. Just knowing we have that added layer of protection from these PPE's helped to decrease the underlying stress of the unknown." Home and Community Options received the WCF Community Grant Cycle 1: Mission Critical in April of 2021. The organization received $10,000. The grant supported two [...]

Community Grant Program Awards The Winona Community Foundation awards grants to causes and organizations that support the vibrant and enduring Winona area community. The Foundation received a record number 29 applications by the March 1 deadline requesting more than $237,031.50 in funding. The grant review committee was challenged to award grants that would serve the diverse needs and opportunities in our community. An important part of the Winona Community Foundation’s mission is realized though [...]