The Dunn County Historical Society (DCHS) was formed in 1950 with a mission to discover, preserve, interpret, and share knowledge about the history of Dunn County and its role in Wisconsin, and to inspire interest in the past. They currently manage the Rassbach Heritage Museum and Fulton’s Workshop, along with over 20,000 artifacts and archival items, including photographs, journals, letters, newspapers, and more. The society consists of nearly 300 members. They have a full-time director, three half-time staff, and support staff. They rely on an active core of volunteers as well. They do not currently hold their own agency fund at the Foundation.
The Historical Society applied for this challenge grant in an effort to secure a “forever stream of income” to support their mission and operations. They understand that an endowment fund is a sophisticate funding strategy and is a good model for the public trust they hold. The annual disbursements from this endowment grant would go toward their general operating budget and be allocated within that budget as the board and executive director sees fit in order to best serve their mission. Some of their stated goals include facility maintenance, marketing efforts, hosting free or low-cost community events, and offering more outreach programs. They plan to raise matching dollars through a campaign mailing in order to best explain the campaign goals and impact to the organization.
For donation inquiries, please contact Melissa Kneeland at melissa.kneeland@dunnhistory.
To make a contribution towards the $5,000 fundraising effort, please mail a check to:
The Dunn County Historical Society
P.O. Box 437
Menomonie, WI 54751
