Fiscal Sponsorships

The Winona Community Foundation is a great partner for nonprofit causes or charitable projects or initiatives. For many years, the Winona Community Foundation has helped local charitable projects get off the ground by providing fiscal and administrative infrastructure they need to operate through a fiscal sponsorship agreement.

The Foundation will serve as a fiscal sponsor to charitable causes that benefit from the Foundation’s charitable status. Some fiscal sponsorships are in place to asset a new nonprofit before it secures its own IRS letter of determination.

HOW TO START

  • Contact Winona Community Foundation staff to review your needs. A special project or initiative needs to have charitable intent and be aligned with tax-exempt purposes.
  • Complete a “Fiscal Sponsorship” application which will be reviewed by the Foundation Board of Directors. This will be provided to you after your needs are reviewed with Foundation staff.

If you are a nonprofit looking to outsource financial responsibilities or you have a charitable project that needs professional management and nonprofit status to get started, please contact us!

Click here to download the Foundation’s Fiscal Sponsorship Policies and Guidelines.

QUESTIONS?

For more information, or to discuss if your project or initiative is the right fit, please contact:

Nancy M. Brown
President/CEO
Email Now
(507) 454 – 6511

CURRENT FUNDS AT THE FOUNDATION:

Ready Set School works to ensure all eligible K-12 students in Winona County have the basic and necessary supplies and clothing for school.

An annual road race held to honor Bob Kierlin, one of the founders of Fastenal and a lifelong supporter of youth programs. Proceeds from the BK5K events go to area youth organizations and programs that have demonstrated financial need via a competitive grant process.

The Winona Goodfellows Fund has been in existence for more than 100 years, providing countless Winona-area children with warm winter clothing and footwear. The organization currently provides between 700 and 800 vouchers each fall to income-eligible children in grades preschool through eighth enrolled in Winona County schools.

The Winona County Dive Rescue Team is comprised of a group of volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day. The team is responsible for water search and rescue in Winona County. The team has also traveled to other jurisdictions to assist in water rescue and recovery.

Winona’s annual community wide celebration! Five days of carnival, live music, boat races, fireworks over the Mississippi and a grande parade.

Winona Area Toys for Kids is a community-driven organization that assists local families by providing free toys for their children during the holiday season.

Save our Trees Campaign is raising funds to treat ash trees and plant 325 other types of trees in our parks in 2023.

Winona’s Little Warriors is a drumline group consisting of youth ages 7-16 practice and perform at Winona-area events.

Treatment Court of Winona County (TCWC) is to enhances public safety and reduces costs to the community and criminal justice system by providing resources and structure that allow offenders to become alcohol and drug free. TCWC participants are offered intense accountability and support through probation supervision, chemical dependency treatment, mental health therapy and regular court appearances – among many other program offerings.

An organization that raises funds for trail maintenance and local ski programs.

Sandbar Storytelling Festival provides exciting performances and compelling chronicles amidst the breathtaking beauty of Winona, MN at a public festival in October. Celebrate and preserve the power and pleasure of our varied cultural traditions and human experiences.

Resilient Winona County is a collaborative coalition of more than 40 organizations and 200 individuals working to build a resilient, trauma-informed community. The group’s work is focused on healing and addressing the causes of individual and community trauma through education, advocacy, and elevating voices.

Winona Community Chorale is a concert series for all-ages to benefit Winona and surrounding communities.

A passionate group of Winona area disc golfers are working with the City of Winona to renovate and update the City’s 3 public courses.

Winona Skate Park and Community Plaza is the name for a capital project that would be located immediately adjacent to the Anthem Skate Park housed in a city-owned building.

This is a fund for special fundraising projects by the Winona Rotary Club, including Ride the Ridges.

PREVIOUS FUNDS HELD AT THE FOUNDATION:

Engage Winona is now an established independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that drives equitable civic action and social change by working to ensure everyone has access, voice, and power in community planning, decision-making and changemaking.

The Frozen River Film Festival is an established independent 501(c)(3) organization that hosts a five-day multimedia event, offering independent documentary films and arts programming.

On December 1, 2022, the Winona Noon Lions Club, Winona Rivertown, Winona Sunset, and the Celanese Community Foundation accomplished their Phase 2 fundraising goal for the Every Child’s Dream Park Fund, which supports an ability-inclusive playground. The Winona Lion’s Club raised $103,388.68 to donate to the City of Winona for this special project. Their phase project goal was to include the installation of two pavilions that each include four picnic tables and a canopy to cover two of the park benches.

Starting in 2014, Winona’s East End Neighborhood Watch Group began laying plans with the city to remove an old building and build a new pavilion that would beautify the park, honor Winona’s baseball legends, and give the community a nice place to gather.