M&J Employee Impact Fund awards $70,800 in grants! Posted on January 30, 2024 by Eau Claire Community Foundation Local businesses play a vital role in supporting philanthropy, and Market & Johnson is prominent among them. M&J has always encouraged its employees to become personally involved in the communities where they live and work. To help further this goal, they created the M&J Employee Impact Fund, held at ECCF, in which employees pool their contributions to support organizations in the communities where they live and work. Market & Johnson then matches 50% of employee contributions. Each year, M&J employees recommend recipients for grants from the M&J Employee Impact Fund; their recommendations are reviewed by the Impact Fund Committee and approved by Market & Johnson’s Board of Directors and ECCF’s Board of Trustees.In January 2024, the M&J Employee Impact Fund distributed $70,800 in grants to 18 nonprofits throughout their service area. Together, M&J employees are making a lasting difference in the communities they serve!2024 M&J Employee Impact Fund GranteesBig Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern WisconsinBig Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers RegionBolton Refuge HouseBoys and Girls Clubs of Greater La CrosseBoys and Girls Clubs of the Greater Chippewa ValleyDrug Endangered ChildrenFall Creek School Booster ClubGATEWAYS Fund of the Eau Claire Public Schools FoundationJoshua’s CampJunior Achievement of Wisconsin North and West Central Region, La Crosse and Eau Claire chaptersLa Crosse Area Veterans Mentor ProgramRiver Valley CharitiesSleep in Heavenly Peace, Chippewa Valley ChapterSt. Croix Valley Food BankSt. Croix Valley Foundation, Sterbenz-Ryan Scholarship FundValley OutreachWinona Community Foundation, Dive and Rescue Fund Read More »
2023 Additions to ECCF’s Family of Funds Posted on January 2, 2024 by Eau Claire Community Foundation ECCF welcomed a variety of exciting new Funds in 2023! Read on to learn about these additions to our Family of Funds. AGENCY ENDOWMENT FUNDS These Funds allow charitable organizations to establish Endowment Funds within ECCF rather than create and manage such a Fund themselves. They generate a predictable stream of income so that the nonprofit can use the earnings from the Fund to offset its operations forever. Chippewa River Watershed Fund This Fund will help Landmark Conservancy preserve wild and scenic places in the Chippewa River Watershed. CVM-Wisconsin Logging… Read More »
Important Year-End Giving Dates Posted on December 11, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation The end-of-year is quickly approaching! Here are the last dates to initiate gifts to ECCF to ensure your 2023 tax deduction: December 20 - Last day to submit a grant recommendation from Donor Advised Funds. December 22 - Last day to initiate a stock transaction. December 29 - Last day to initiate a wire transfer. December 31 - All donations must be postmarked by this date. THE ECCF OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON DECEMBER 25 and 26. For wire and stock delivery instructions, contact [email protected] or 715-552-3801.… Read More »
ECCF collaborates with Compeer Financial to support opportunities for outdoor education at Beaver Creek Reserve Posted on November 7, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation ECCF is proud to announce its partnership with Compeer Financial in the Rural Collaboration Project, an initiative aimed at bolstering rural vitality across the Midwest, with a focus on environmental learning opportunities for students in rural communities of the Chippewa Valley. In a significant step toward enhancing rural communities, ECCF has been selected as one of seven community foundations across the upper Midwest to participate in this pioneering initiative, receiving a grant of over $21,000 from the Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America donor-advised fund, the Agriculture and Rural Initiative.… Read More »
ECCF awards $100,000 in grants from the William A. Bingham Family Endowment Fund Posted on October 11, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation ECCF is delighted to announce the allocation of $100,000 in grants from the newly established William A. Bingham Family Endowment Fund, an unrestricted Fund that aims to benefit the Eau Claire community. Grants have been awarded to The Wellness Shack, the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office, and the Eau Claire Police Department. Each grant has the potential for immediate and lifesaving impact. The Wellness Shack has been granted $20,000 to bolster its staffing and capacity-building efforts, enhancing its ability to provide crucial mental health resources and peer support to those… Read More »
ECCF Receives $4.75 Million Legacy Gift – the Largest Gift in Foundation History! Posted on August 4, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation Eau Claire Community Foundation Receives the Largest Legacy Gift to Date! The Eau Claire Community Foundation (ECCF) received a legacy gift from a lifelong community member, William “Bill” A. Bingham. ECCF is honored to announce that the William A. Bingham’s estate included a $4.75 million bequest to establish an unrestricted endowment fund. “This is the single largest gift received in the Foundation’s 26 years of existence,” said Sue Bornick, ECCF’s Executive Director. “This one gift will make an incredible impact in our community FOREVER!” Bingham’s gift, in memory of his… Read More »
ECCF Welcomes Wesley Escondo as New President & CEO Posted on July 5, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation New President and CEO Wesley Escondo ECCF is pleased to announce the appointment of Wesley Escondo as its new President and CEO effective August 7, 2023. Escondo brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to community development, making him an ideal choice to lead ECCF into its next phase of philanthropic impact. Escondo succeeds Sue Bornick, Executive Director. ECCF has prospered under Bornick’s leadership. Since she became Executive Director in 2009, ECCF’s assets have more than quadrupled, dozens of new funds have been opened,… Read More »
Congratulations to the 2023 Community Grant recipients! Posted on May 16, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation ECCF is pleased to announce that our Community Grant Cycle awarded $213,259 in grants to 50 nonprofits that serve Eau Claire County. This total includes an unprecedented eight grants of $10,000 or more! Grantees represent all four of ECCF’s giving categories: 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). 2023 Community Grant Awards Each year, ECCF’s Grants Committee, which is currently composed of 20 local volunteers, evaluates applications… Read More »
In Memoriam: Dr. Eldon Hill Posted on May 4, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation Dr. Eldon Hill and Morris the cat ECCF joins the Hill family in mourning the loss of Dr. Eldon Hill, who passed away on April 26, 2023, at the age of 102. During his long life, he improved countless lives both through his compassion as a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology and his generosity as a donor. Among his many other achievements, Dr. Hill established two Funds at ECCF to increase educational opportunities in Loyal, WI, where he was born and raised. The Draper Hills Scholarship… Read More »
New Acorn Fund Will Grow to Support Pollinators and Clean Water Posted on February 15, 2023 by Eau Claire Community Foundation Brenna Lindsey-Schrupp and her father, Tom Lindsey A new Acorn Fund at ECCF will grow to support environmental organizations and their related programs, especially those that protect clean water and support pollinators. Fund creator Brenna Lindsey-Schrupp explained that she and her husband Matt established the Tom Lindsey Conservation Fund in honor of her dad because he’s “the best conservationist I know…We wanted to do something special for him to say ‘thank you’ for all that he has done.” Among many other things, Tom has helped Brenna… Read More »
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