The Whitewater Community Foundation has announced that a deadline to apply for grant funding through the organization is approaching.

According to information released Friday by the foundation, twice each year it offers Community Action Grants “for projects that the community and board of directors believe are worthwhile and beneficial to various segments of the population.”

Within the release, Whitewater Community Foundation Secretary Julie Caldwell noted that the grants are designed to strengthen the community.

“Each year, the Whitewater Community Foundation makes community action grants that tie in with the foundation’s mission, including, but not limited to education, arts, economic development, and improving the Whitewater Community,” the release read.

The next application deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 31. The following deadline is in April of 2024.

Also within the release, the foundation offered a history of past projects it has supported through its community grant programming.

Past projects

Among past projects, the foundation, through its release, described a grant of $1,000 it supplied to the Community ESL (English as a second language) Program in Whitewater.

Monies received by the program through the foundation were used to purchase “25 curriculum texts and workbooks,” the release noted.

The program has a positive impact on the community, Whitewater Unified School District Director of Teaching and Learning Terilyn Robles stated within the release.

The release cited, as example, positive benefits derived from the program by a new community member from Nicaragua, whom it identified as “Linda.” 

“The Community ESL program … helped her learn English. When applying for a job and her interpreter did not show up, thanks to the training she received in the Level 1 ESL course, she had learned enough English to respond to the first round of interview questions about basic personal information and preferences. Her newly learned English helped her get the job,” the release stated. 

“We are very pleased to support Linda and all of the English language learners here in our community. A recent influx of non-English speaking families has made it crucial to provide opportunities in our community to welcome and assist,” Whitewater Community Foundation Co-President Roni Telfer was quoted as saying in the release.

Additionally, the release noted, the foundation has provided a grant to the Whitewater Fire and EMS department of $1,810. Monies were used to purchase a fire blanket, which, Whitewater Fire and EMS Chief Kelly Freeman said within the release, would be used to “quickly and safely extinguish car fires.”

Foundation grants also have been used to support a free lunch program offered through the First United Methodist Church, according to the release. A grant of $1,000 was used to feed students and community members through the program, the release noted.

“The church has been providing a free Tuesday lunch for more than 25 years,” the release stated, noting that it has served some 105 meals within “the last two Tuesdays.” 

Citing community need for the free meals, the release noted that foundation members have become aware — through the sharing of discussions between those attending the meals and the volunteers who serve them — that it has become “challenging” to “stretch every dollar,” with one lunch recipient noting: “There is just too much month at the end of the money,” the release recounted.

The release noted additional grants the foundation has awarded as follows:

• Wisconsin Makers, Inc., receiving  a grant of $500 to fund free classes including robotics

• Whitewater Unified School District, receiving a grant of $1,000 to fund its robotics program

• St. Patrick’s Church, receiving a grant of $500 to fund its “Hands Up” program, which offers emergency assistance

• City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Department, receiving $500 to fund the placement of signage at the Starin Park Arboretum project.

In 2022, the release continued, the foundation provided the Whitewater Police Department with grant funding to help with interpretation services.

Relating information offered by Capt. Adam Vander Steeg, the release noted that the department’s need for interpretation services had “drastically increased” over the preceding two years, and it’s budget for such services of $2,500 was no longer enough to support the growing need for such services.

“Our department also recently switched our interpreter services from using SWITS at a cost of $2.50 a minute, to using a worldwide company called Propio at a cost of 65 cents a minute. In the first nine months of this year, our department has used a total of 61.2 hours of Propio interpretation services. So between us switching our interpreting services and (the foundation’s) generous grant donation, we are in a much better position financially to continue to provide these interpretation services,” Vander Steeg was quoted as saying in the release.

2023 Civic Summit

The release further identified community needs which were presented and discussed during the foundation’s 2023 Civic Summit held in April.

More than 30 community members, business leaders, educators and nonprofit organizers attended the April summit, according to the release, and determined “key areas for improvement in Whitewater,” including: 

• Communicating to Whitewater’s diverse population in English and Spanish, making signage bilingual, coordinating communication to all groups, and providing opportunities for people of different backgrounds, age groups, and other demographics to integrate and help meet community needs

• Offering affordability and accessibility relating to housing assistance for families and professionals as they seek to purchase homes

• Marketing Whitewater by coordinating and cross-pollinating events, calendars and volunteer opportunities

“We are pleased that the Civic Summit results tied in so beautifully with some of the community action grants that we funded recently.  We look forward to this year’s distribution of Community Action grants,” Whitewater Community Foundation Co-President Therese Kennedy was quoted as saying in the release.

Organizations interested in pursuing a Whitewater Community Foundation Action Grant are encouraged to visit the Whitewater Community Foundation’s website: https://whitewatercommunityfoundation.org/community-action-grants/ or contact the foundation through the following email: chairperson@whitewatercommunityfoundation.org.

According to the release, the foundation continues to provide scholarships for Whitewater High School students and offers fiscal sponsorship to organizations that are seeking 501(c)(3) status or require temporary pass-through funds for worthy community projects.