FOR THE COMMUNITY, FROM THE COMMUNITY. The Eau Claire Community Foundation awarded $213,259 in grants during the annual Community Grant Cycle. Pictured is the Children's Museum of Eau Claire, which was awarded funding this cycle.

The Eau Claire Community Foundation (ECCF) recently announced its annual Community Grant Cycle has awarded $213,259 in grants to 50 nonprofit organizations that serve Eau Claire County, including an unprecedented total of eight grants of $10,000 or more.

Of the 50 grantees, all four of ECCF’s giving categories are represented: Create Culture (visual and performing arts, museums, literature); Form Futures (education, training); Give Green (animals, fitness, the environment); and Offer Opportunities (basic needs such as food, shelter, and medical care).

This year’s Community Grant Cycle also marked the debut of Operations grants, which allowed nonprofits to request funding for expenses like rent, utilities, and salary, for the first time from ECCF. The Operations grant will not provide ongoing support but will play a vital role in supporting nonprofits during times of unusually high expenses or unexpected revenue loss, a recent press release noted. 12 nonprofits are the first beneficiaries to receive Operations grants – including funds toward sustaining Sojourner House’s operations, the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire, the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild, Chippewa Valley Habitat for Humanity, and others – totaling nearly $50,000.

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GRANTS LIKE THESE ARE AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO AT THE EAU CLAIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

SUE BORNICK

ECCF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“Grants like these are at the heart of what we do at the Eau Claire Community Foundation,” ECCF Executive Director Sue Bornick said. “We’re here to support the nonprofits who do so much for our community. We sincerely thank all the volunteers who worked hard reviewing grants and all the donors who made this funding possible. We’re especially grateful to the holders of Donor Advised Funds, whose funding recommendations increased our amount available to grant by almost $70,000.”

Some of the 50 nonprofits to receive Community Grant funds this cycle include Eau Claire Jazz, Inc. to fund its inaugural Eau Claire Summer Jazz Crawl event; Sculpture Tour to fund its ColorBlock Mural Program; Literacy Chippewa Valley to support its Chippewa Valley Little Libraries program; Western Dairyland EOC to support its Small Business Bootcamps; YMCA of the Chippewa Valley to purchase an ATV for Camp Manitou; the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin Inc. to fund its Music Therapy Group; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin to fund its 1-to-1 Youth Mentoring: Bigs in Blue program, and more.

The whole community can also play a role by donating to ECCF’s Community Fund, which is a major source of support for this grant cycle. Donations to the Community Fund can be made via the ECCF website and by clicking the ‘Give Online’ button. Checks can be made out to ECCF/Community Fund and mailed to 306 S. Barstow St., Suite 104, Eau Claire.

Since 1997, ECCF has awarded more than $25 million in grants to over 550 nonprofit organizations.

Visit the Eau Claire Community Foundation's website to learn more and contribute.