Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America has awarded 32 General Use Grants throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois, totaling $204,650. Ten of the recipients are based in Wisconsin.
General Use Grants fund initiatives and organizations whose work enriches agriculture and rural America, aligning with Compeer Financial’s mission.
These grants will directly impact the lives of 1.2 million people. Forty percent will support agriculture education initiatives, and 24 percent address food insecurity efforts focused on quality of life.
“The General Use Grant program impacts the communities where Compeer clients and team members live and work,” says Karen Schieler, senior corporate giving specialist at Compeer. “The grants embody our commitment to enriching agriculture and rural America, and to the farmers and communities we serve.”
The 10 organizations getting support from the General Use Grant Program throughout Wisconsin are:
American Red Cross Wisconsin Region – Purchasing an amicus machine for Madison blood processing center.
Baraboo Children’s Museum – Tractor exhibit.
Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. – Classroom materials and digital license fees to bring Junior Achievement programming to rural students in the Compeer Financial territory
REAP Food Group – Providing free listings to small, emerging farms and businesses that are BIPOC-owned in the Farm Fresh Atlas of Southern Wisconsin, and hosting educational programming to broaden the demand for local products.
The Gathering Source, Inc. – Replacement of aging freezer and cooler.
Vernon Economic Development Association – Purchasing local produce and dairy products from small local farms for food pantries and meal sites.
Vernon Memorial Healthcare Foundation – Purchase clinic microscopes.
Indianhead Community Action Agency – Purchasing produce to provide fresh, vitamin rich foods to low-income seniors in their monthly supplemental meal packages.
Feed My People Food Bank – Purchase a used stand-up powered forklift.
Green County Development Corporation – Green County pop-up shop program.
Since the program was established in 2018, the fund has awarded 367 General Use Grants, totaling over $2.1 million. The fund will offer this grant again in May 2023 to provide funding for summer 2023.
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