Funding for local agencies and nonprofits
The Waukesha County Community Foundation will accept grant requests from qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Discretionary funds used to support grants are currently limited. Only requests from organizations serving the people of Waukesha County will be considered.
Grant criteria
Grants from the Community Grants Fund will support programs in the following broad program areas:
- Arts and Culture
- Community Development
- Health and Human Services
- Education
- Environment and Conservation
- Historic Preservation
Grants will not be made to individuals or for religious, governmental or political purposes. Grants will not be repeated for the same program or purpose in consecutive years.
The Waukesha County Community Foundation does not fund event sponsorship requests. Also, grants will be declined for programs outside of an organization’s core mission.
The Foundation will give preference to proposals that show collaboration among organizations serving similar clients, strengthen the internal operations of an organization, or impact outcomes on a community basis (collective impact). A typical WCCF grant ranges in size from $1,000 – $10,000.
How to apply
Learn more about the grant application process here.
Past Grant Awards
2022 Grant Awards
- Addiction Resource Council
- Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps (ARCh)
- Best Buddies Wisconsin
- Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Metropolitan Milwaukee, Inc.
- Blessings in a Backpack Waukesha County
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee
- Broadscope Disability Services
- Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation
- Carroll University
- Community Smiles Dental (WCCDC)
- Family Promise of Waukesha Co.
- Falls Patio Players
- First Stage
- Friends of Vernon Marsh
- Girls on the Run of Southeastern Wisconsin
- HEAR Wisconsin
- Hebron House of Hospitality, Inc.
- IMPACT, Inc. 2-1-1
- Lake Area Free Clinic
- LifeStriders
- Literacy Services of Wisconsin, Inc.
- Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (LSS)
- NAMI Southeast Wisconsin
- Sharp Literacy, Inc.
- Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
- Team Up! With Families/Katy’s Kloset
- The Women’s Center, Inc.
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Waukesha Foundation
- Waukesha County Land Conservancy
- YMCA of Greater Waukesha County
- Zachariah’s Acres Inc.
2021 Grant Awards
- ACAP, Inc.
- Christmas Clearing Council
- Diverse and Resilience
- Donna Lexa Arts Center
- Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin
- Elmbrook Senior Taxi, Inc.
- Good Friend, Inc.
- GPS Education Partners, Inc.
- Greater Milwaukee El Sistema
- Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County
- Healing Hearts of Waukesha
- Hope Center
- La Casa de Esperanza
- Lad Lake, Inc.
- Life Navigators
- Prevent Blindness of Wisconsin
- Revitalize Milwaukee
- SaintA
- Sleep in Heavenly Peace
- St Joan of Arc
- Tricia’s Troops Cancer Connection
- Waukesha Civic Theater
- Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum
- Wisconsin Hero Outdoors
- Wisconsin Masonic Home, Inc.
- Wisconsin String Academie
- Wisconsin Veterans Network
- Your Choice to Live, Inc.
- 2021 Carl J. Patrinos and Audrey Z. Patrinos Charitable Endowment Fund Grant – $3,800
2020 Grant Awards
- Best Buddies Wisconsin
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Milwaukee, Inc
- Broadscope Disability Services
- Carroll University
- Family Promise of Waukesha Co.
- Lake Area Free Clinic
- Lifestriders
- Literacy Services of Wisconsin, Inc.
- Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
- NAMI Waukesha
- Oconomowoc Silver Streak
- Pewaukee Area Arts Council
- Seniors on the Go Taxi Service
- Sharp Literacy, Inc.
- The Wildlife in Need Center
- Waukesha County Community Dental Clinic, Inc.
- Waukesha Choral Union
- Waukesha County Land Conservancy
- Waukesha Free Clinic
- WisHope Inc.
- Zachariah’s Acres, Inc.
- 2020 Carl J. Patrinos and Audrey Z. Patrinos Charitable Endowment Fund Grant – $3,000
2019 Grant Awards
- Addiction Resource Council, Inc.
- Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps (ARCh)
- Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement
- Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation
- Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County
- Down Syndrome Assoc. of WI, Inc.
- Elmbrook Humane Society
- Elmbrook Senior Taxi, Inc.
- Eras Senior Network, Inc.
- Girls on the Run of Southeastern Wisconsin
- Good Friend, Inc.
- GPS Education Partners
- Hebron House of Hospitality, Inc.
- Hope Center
- Housing Action Coalition of Waukesha County
- Junior Achievement of WI
- La Casa de Esperanza
- Lake Country Cares Cab
- LindenGrove Foundation
- Playworks Education Energized
- Plowshare Fair Trade Market & Education for Peace
- Prevent Blindness Wisconsin
- ProHealth Care Foundation
- The Women’s Center, Inc.
- UW-Waukesha Foundation, Inc.
- Waukesha County Green Team
- Wisconsin Hero Outdoors
- Wisconsin Veterans Network
- WI Association for Home and Community Education – Waukesha County Chapter
- 2019 Carl J. Patrinos and Audrey Z. Patrinos Charitable Endowment Fund Grant – $26,494.00
2018 Grant Awards
- The Waukesha County Community Foundation awarded $164,900 in community grants to 35 area charitable organizations in 2018.
- The grants support programs and organizations working in the arts and culture, community development, education, health and human services, historic preservation and the environment in Waukesha County.
- The following recipients were successful in completing a competitive grant process:
- Adaptive Community Approach Program (ACAP)
- Best Buddies
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Milwaukee (BBBS)
- Carroll University
- Centro Legal
- Family Promise of Waukesha County
- Food Pantry of Waukesha County, Inc.
- Giving Voice to Mental Illness, Inc.
- Greater Milwaukee El Sistema
- Greater Waukesha Literacy
- Hamilton Education Foundation
- Healing Hearts of Waukesha County
- Jubilate Chorale
- Lad Lake
- Lake Area Free Clinic
- Lapham Peak Friends
- Muskego Senior Taxi
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Waukesha, Inc.
- Parents Place, Inc.
- Pewaukee Area Arts Council
- Seniors on the Go Taxi Service
- Sharp Literacy, Inc.
- The Caring Place, Inc.
- Thriving Waukesha County Alliance
- Tricia’s Troops Cancer Connection
- Vita Nova Inc.
- Waukesha Chorale Union
- Waukesha County Community Dental Clinic
- Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum
- Waukesha County Land Conservancy
- Wildlife in Need Center, Ltd.
- Wisconsin Philharmonic
- Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation
- YMCA of Greater Waukesha County
- Zachariah’s Acres, Inc.
- 2018 Carl J. Patrinos and Audrey Z. Patrinos Charitable Endowment Fund Grant- $34,500
