The Fund for Rural America, Compeer Financial’s corporate giving program, has awarded 34 General Use Grants, totaling $228,340. General Use Grants fund initiatives and organizations whose work enriches agriculture and rural America, aligning with Compeer Financial’s mission.
In total, the 34 grants will directly impact the lives of over 828,000 people, including farmers, youth, high school students and people facing food insecurity.
Since the program was established in 2018, the Fund has awarded 335 General Use Grants, totaling over $1.9 million.
“The general use grants align with Compeer Financial’s mission of serving the needs of our clients, agriculture and rural America,” says Karen Schieler, senior corporate giving specialist at Compeer. “The applicants found new and innovative ideas through which they will better the future of rural communities with these grants.”
The following 34 organizations in Compeer Financial’s territory receiving support from the General Use Grant Program:
Illinois
Advocate Good Shepherd: purchasing a commercial refrigerator for Smart Farm Food Supply Project
American Farmland Trust: hosting farmer-to-farmer workshops highlighting soil health and edge-of-field practices to improve water quality in the Vermilion River Watershed
Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences: professional development for urban high school agriculture teachers to collaborate and develop a shared urban agriculture curriculum aligned with state standards
Elizabeth Community Ambulance Service: technology improvements to provide a hands-on, interactive learning environment to licensed personnel through continuing education
Farm Foundation: Young Agri-Food Leaders Program
Illinois Farmers Market Association: technical assistance for Farmers Market Managers to develop and implement data collection methods
Midwest Food Bank: replacing a broken freezer door in Food Bank warehouse
Nutrients for Life Foundation: Agriculture Careers breakout boxes and workshops
Quincy Children’s Museum: outreach experience programming
Minnesota
Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio: culturally specific food and fresh produce food distribution program in Austin, Minnesota
Farm Commons, Inc.: Farmer Fellows Cohort – Winter 2022
Farmamerica – MN Ag Interpretive Center: exploring careers in agriculture through hands-on and virtual reality experiences
FM360: expansion and evolution of Farmers Market Metrics in Minnesota
Grace Place Collaborative: commercial freezer and refrigerator for Community Food Share program
Great River Greening: expanding continuous living cover through community education
Land Stewardship Project: Farm Beginnings and Climate Resiliency trainings
MN Farm Bureau Foundation: printing new Agriculture Transportation Handbooks
Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Inc.: purchasing a pallet wrapper
The Village Agricultural Cooperative: infrastructure for new urban farm
United Way of Freeborn County: Welcome Pantry
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center: building capacity for a comprehensive apprenticeship and farm incubator program
Wisconsin
Baraboo Children’s Museum, Inc.: purchasing a milkable cow exhibit
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County: Walworth County Summer Monthly Meal Distribution Project
CESA 03: Hydroponic Growing System
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin: scissors lift
Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project: developing a local Land Conservation Program
GrassWorks Inc: coordinating outreach and implementing regenerative agriculture conservation education
Jackson County Childcare Network: Farm to ECE Mobile Learning Lab
Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance: supporting farmer-led conservation and supply chain collaboration
Operation HELP: farmers market and food harvest vouchers
REAP Food Group: supporting REAP’s Farm Fresh Atlas, BIPOC farmers, and educational programs
Rooted WI, Inc: infrastructure and capacity building for specialty crop farmers
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin: purchasing commercial canopy tents for the Mobile Pantry Program
YMCA of the North – Camp St. Croix: Camp St. Croix Grow and Gather Farm Fence
About the Fund for Rural America
The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America is the corporate giving program of Compeer Financial, structured to support Compeer Financial’s mission to enrich agriculture and rural America. Compeer Financial’s Board of Directors has dedicated one percent of annual net earnings to support the Fund’s focus areas of agricultural advocacy and development, agriculture education, cooperative initiatives, rural development and community enrichment; and youth engagement. The Fund is managed by a Board of Trustees, made up of team members from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin and members of the Compeer Financial Board of Directors. More information about opportunities available through the Fund can be found at Compeer.com/giving-back.
About Compeer Financial
Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities. The $27.7 billion organization provides loans, leases, risk management and other financial services throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in the Upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America, while providing personalized service and expertise to clients and the agriculture industry.
Compeer Financial is the third largest cooperative of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of lending institutions supporting agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Learn more about Compeer Financial.
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