Moments in Philanthropy || January, 2010


In this issue


Letter from Kathleen Woit, President, Madison Community Foundation

New Funds Established in December 2009 at Madison Community Foundation

Madison Community Foundation Helps Seniors in a Crisis

Putting Food on Family Tables – St. Vincent de Paul

Columbus, Middleton, and Rio Affiliate Funds Have New Website Pages

A Fund for Women: Successful Fundraising – Impactful Grants


Waunakee Business "Gives Back"


Rich Lynch and Kathleen Woit Receive Best of Madison Business Awards

Upcoming Events for Agencies Supported by MCF



The following was published as a letter to the editor of the Wisconsin State Journal on December 25, 2009. It was also published online by AllBusiness, a Dun and Bradstreet company.

Letter to the Community

Each year, the Madison Community Foundation endeavors to build on Dane County community assets in ways that are especially meaningful.  In 2009, the MCF Board of Governors and staff forged a special grants relationship with 14 charitable organizations.  The outcome of these grants was extraordinary.  We thank the staffs from Bethel Lutheran Church Food Pantry, Community Action Coalition, East Madison Community Center, Energy Services, Inc., First United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Habitat For Humanity (HFHDC), Independent Living, Inc., North/Eastside Senior Coalition, Porchlight, Inc., The River Food Pantry, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern WI, and Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Their quick and smart implementation of projects helped to plant community gardens, build food pantry infrastructures, construct low cost housing, expand food delivery and transportation services to the elderly, and increase capacity for energy assistance and leverage state funds for the Dane County Food Share program.

Kudos to MCF fundholders for joining in with gifts to support the MCF 2009 grantmaking program. What a generous community we all live in.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Woit, President
Madison Community Foundation

New Funds at Madison Community Foundation

Charles M. Himel Fund
Central WI Center Education Fund
Escher Family Fund
Mary P. Burke Education Fund
Lodi Area Community Endowment
Lodi Area Community Passthrough Fund
David John LeMahieu Fund
Donna McDowell Beestman Acorn Fund for A Fund For Women


Madison Community Foundation Helps Seniors in a Crisis

In early December, staff at Madison Community Foundation learned that the Independent Living Homelessness Prevention program budget was cut by $30,000, and they stepped in quickly with a plan to fill the gap.

“We heard about the necessary budget cut on Thursday evening and by Friday afternoon were able to identify $20,000 from a restricted fund that is a part of the Madison Community Foundation Community Impact Grant Funding,” said Tom Linfield, Vice President, Grantmaking & Community Initiatives. “An MCF fundholder who wishes to remain anonymous provided an additional $10,000 to help restore the entire amount.”

The funds will assist Independent Living in subsidizing interim rent payments for very low-income elderly in the Dane County community waiting for Section 8 vouchers or other public funding and in danger of becoming homeless.

Independent Living Inc. is a nonprofit, multi-service agency that assists people with disabilities and older adults, enabling them to live with dignity and independence while maintaining health and well-being. For more information about the Homelessness Prevention program call (608) 274-7900 or visit www.indepenliving.com


Putting Food on Family Tables –
The St. Vincent de Paul Challenge Grant

Putting food on otherwise empty tables is the major goal of the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, located in a brand new building on Fish Hatchery Road in Madison.

The largest and busiest food pantry in Dane County, it served over 220,000 households in the last fiscal year – over 10% of the total households in Dane County. Originally a $4 million project with an opening date of February 2009, an additional $500,000 was needed to finish paying for the building. This fall, MCF offered a $100,000 challenge grant to assist St. Vincent de Paul in raising $400,000 to finish their campaign.

“We got where we are today with the help of tremendous community leadership, including Bob Koch as the Honorary Campaign Chair,” said Ralph Middlecamp, Executive Director at Society of St. Vincent de Paul – District Council of Madison. “We are so appreciative of the challenge grant from MCF. It has helped re-energize our campaign, allowing us to approach donors who had not been in a position to help us before. We have to raise about $170,000 more in order to meet the match.”

Middlecamp talked about how lucky they were to have the building in place just as the need increased. “This building provides expanded capacity and the ability to serve our clients with dignity and privacy. The upsurge in numbers of families served this past year has been phenomenal, and we have been able to meet the demand.”

Read all about the fundraising campaign here: St. Vincent de Paul Website
And see a video about financing and building the center here.

To contribute to the St.Vincent de Paul Challenge Grant, please click here: or contact Paul Houseman, Donor Relations - phouseman@madisoncommunityfoundation.org, or (608) 232-1763.

Columbus, Middleton, and Rio Affiliate Funds Have New Website Pages

Columbus, Middleton, and Rio Affiliate Community Funds housed at Madison Community Foundation can now be accessed through the MCF website. Donors can make donations to the funds, obtain updates, or see news about the funds on those webpages.

Each of these Affiliate Funds is an endowment housed at MCF, but serve a community outside
Madison.  Each Affiliate Fund is represented by an advisory committee of residents from that
community.  Advisory committee members raise resources for the endowment and recommend distributions from the endowment for charitable causes within that community.  Affiliates partner with MCF to maximize earnings, secure principal and minimize administrative costs. Endowment principal is held in perpetuity by Madison Community Foundation for the benefit of that community.

For more information, to access the webpages of any of the above funds, or to make donations to any of the funds please visit the affiliate section of our website: MCF Affiliates or contact Bob Sorge, Vice President of Strategic Development bsorge@madisoncommunityfoundation.org, or (608) 232-1763.

A Fund For Women:
Successful Fundraising – Impactful Grants

The executive committee and staff of A Fund For Women finished 2009 with much to celebrate.
Two matching challenge grants provided by an anonymous donor, one for $25,000 in early autumn and another for $25,000 presented at the AFFW Annual Event in October, spurred donors to give beyond the amount needed to match the grants before the end of 2009.

“This accomplishment is a prime example of my belief that no matter what the economy is doing, when people feel passionate about a cause, they will support it,” said Jan Gietzel, Executive Director of AFFW.  “Our supporters care passionately about women and girls and the quality of their lives in our local community and proved so by giving beyond what was asked for.”

A Fund For Women is a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation.

A Fund For Women Executive Committee grant awards for 2009:

  • Care Net Pregnancy Center of Dane County – The Elizabeth House: $2,300
  • The Exchange Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse: $21,500
  • Goodman Community Center: $15,000
  • Kennedy Heights Community Center: $8,000
  • Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc: $10,000
  • The Rainbow Project, Inc:$19,700
  • Canopy Center, Inc: $23,500

Waunakee Business “Gives Back”

Endres Manufacturing Company of Waunakee, a fourth generation locally owned business, has long been committed to philanthropic contribution and continued that commitment in 2009. The company gave over $144,000 in sponsorships and monetary donations to over 60 local organizations, and donated over $19,200 in labor and materials in job work. The Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation gave over $75,000 in grant money to local non-profits. In addition, family members made personal, individual donations totaling roughly $900,000 in 2009. 

“The Endres-Ballweg Family is to be commended for the exceptional contribution they make to our DaneCounty community,” said Kathleen Woit, President of Madison Community Foundation. “Not only does the company put its money where its heart is, but it also supports employee philanthropic activity by matching contributions and providing generous time off for volunteer activities."

Rich Lynch and Kathleen Woit Receive Best of Madison Business Awards

Rich Lynch, President and Partner of J.H. Findorff and Sons and Vice Chair of the Madison Community Foundation Board of Governors, and Kathleen Woit, President of Madison Community Foundation, are two of three Madisonians to be recognized by Madison Magazine with the Best of Madison Business Awards for 2010.  All recipients will be honored at a luncheon at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center on January 21, 2010.

If you would like to attend  the awards luncheon, Contact Nazia Husain, Marketing Coordinator at Madison Magazine (608) 270-3631 or email nhusain@madisonmagazine.com 


Upcoming Events for Agencies Supported by MCF

Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek: “Writing and Illustrating Children's Books”

What:  Caldecott Award winning children's book author Kevin Henkes and his illustrator wife Laura Dronzek will discuss their new picture book, Birds, as part of a series of events to help you learn more about the Madison Community Foundation’s 2009 Library Endowment Matching Challenge Grant program.
When: Sunday, January 24, 2010
Where: Sequoya Library
For more information click here.

Grand Opening for Urban League of Greater Madison Center for Economic Development and
Workforce Training


What: Grand Opening and dedication of the new building at 2222 S. Park Street
When: Friday, February 19, 2010
Where: 2222 S. Park Street, Madison
For more information, go to www.ulgm.org