Grants from these funds are designated for specific projects or organizations. One or more nonprofit organizations or public agencies identified by the donor benefit through a designated fund. The designation will be honored through the years.

Support For Good. For Ever.

Creating a designated fund allows a donor to continue their annual gift to an organization after their lifetime. In the event that an organization ceases to exist or to deliver the services the donor wished to support, the Community Foundation will apply the funds to purposes which closely parallel those originally intended.

The Community Foundation welcomes the opportunity to partner with you in supporting the causes you care about. We are here for you whether you are ready to set up an endowed named fund now for your favorite charity or whether you wish to talk about a planned future gift via a bequest. We can work with individual donors and professional advisors to create funds that meet unique philanthropic and estate-planning needs.

List of Funds

Barnard Family Charitable Fund (Established to benefit a variety of charities)
Paul and Bea Axelsen Shirley Doane Senior Center Fund
Paul and Bea Axelsen St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Endowment Fund
Paul and Bea Axelsen Mayo Health Clinic System (Red Cedar)
Dunn County Historical Society Endowment Fund (Established by Dwight Agnew)
Denise and Bob Sedlak Menomonie Public Library Fund
Dunn County Veterans Memorial Endowment Fund (Established by the community)
Friends of the Hoffman Hills Recreational Area Fund (Established by Richard & Marianne Hoffman and added to by donations from the community)
Grace Episcopal Church Endowment Fund (Established by Charles Kell)
John Houle Memorial Fund (Established to benefit the Menomonie Public Library)
Wilson Place Mansion Fund (Established by the Dotseth Family)

Don & Marilyn Fanetti Fund

Tom & Barb Johnson Fund

Mickelson Family Fund

The Betty Gesche Fund for Menomonie Athletics

The Clint & Nora Moses Fund

The Theodore E. & Emma-Lou “Rod” Wiehe Fund

 

A Charitable Legacy

John M. Houle Memorial Fund Benefits Menomonie Public Library

John M. Houle grew up in Menomonie, graduated from Menomonie High School, and attended UW-Madison before joining the U.S. Navy, becoming a naval aviator. After WWII and the Korean War he returned to school, ultimately earning a Master’s Degree from UW-Stout and his  PHD from UW-Madison. John returned to Menomonie and joined the faculty of UW-Stout.

 

John passed away in 2011 and as many knew he “loved to read and had an insatiable thirst for knowledge.” As an avid reader, the Menomonie Public Library was very important to him. Several years ago John worked with the staff of the Community Foundation of Dunn County and made provisions in his Will to establish a fund to benefit the Menomonie Public Library. The fund is permanently endowed so that only a portion of earnings from the fund will be distributed to the Library each year as a gift in John’s memory.

After learning of Mr. Houle’s bequest, Ted Stark, the Library’s Executive Director said, “John was known as an avid library user.  Many of the staff knew him well from his daily visits.  He made great use of our resources and it is testament to his love of libraries, reading, and life-long learning that he created this gift Library and our users.”

John Houle’s legacy will live on in the community so that future generations may enjoy the many benefits of the public library that he enjoyed throughout his life in Menomonie. John truly made a gift that will keep giving many times over.