By Culbreath Ashanti—360FundingForge

The Legacy Foundation of Central Wisconsin is a private foundation committed to enhancing the health and well-being of communities in central Wisconsin. Since its establishment in 2015, the foundation has worked in partnership with public health organizations, social service agencies, and health systems to foster healthier communities across the region. With a mission centered around improving public health and community development, the Legacy Foundation may seem like an excellent potential funder for your nonprofit organization. However, before dedicating time and resources to drafting a grant proposal, it’s important to evaluate whether the foundation’s goals align with your project.

In this guide, we’ll break down the key factors that can help you determine if pursuing a grant from the Legacy Foundation of Central Wisconsin is a high-ROI (Return on Investment) opportunity for your nonprofit. We’ll explore their funding priorities, grant trends, and other essential insights to help you make an informed decision.

Understanding the Legacy Foundation of Central Wisconsin: Mission and Focus Areas

The Legacy Foundation of Central Wisconsin is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the region’s communities. Although the foundation doesn’t maintain a significant online presence, its mission, history, and focus areas can be gleaned from its past funding and public filings. The foundation focuses on several key areas:

Key Funding Areas:

1. Youth Development: This category is a major focus for the foundation, including projects that support youth leadership, religious organizations, and programs like Boys & Girls Clubs. Projects that foster personal growth, leadership skills, and community involvement in youth are highly supported.
2. Human Services: The foundation allocates substantial funding to initiatives aimed at supporting vulnerable populations, such as family services, advocacy work, and young men’s and women’s associations. It also funds various projects that provide social services to improve the overall well-being of the community.
3. Public Health and Wellness: The foundation is involved in promoting physical and mental health, often collaborating with local health systems, public health organizations, and community groups.

Evaluating Whether Your Nonprofit Is a Good Fit for Legacy Foundation Grants

Before investing time in drafting a proposal, it’s essential to assess whether your project aligns with the foundation’s mission and funding priorities. To help you evaluate whether you should pursue a grant, consider the following factors:

1. Mission Alignment

The first and most important step is determining whether your nonprofit’s mission closely aligns with the Legacy Foundation’s focus areas. If your project falls within the realm of youth development or human services, there is a strong possibility your nonprofit’s goals align with theirs. If your work focuses on issues outside of these categories—such as environmental sustainability or international development—the fit may not be as strong.

How to Evaluate:

• Score Your Fit: Rate how closely your mission aligns with the foundation on a scale of 1 to 3:
  • Little or no alignment with their priorities.
  • Some alignment with their funding categories, but not a perfect match.
  • Strong alignment with their mission and focus areas.

2. Historical Giving Trends

Reviewing the foundation’s past giving trends is another crucial step in assessing whether they’re a viable funding source. Although the foundation has experienced some fluctuations in total grant amounts, it has maintained a stable giving trend over the past few years. For instance:

• 2018: $6.8 million in grants awarded.
• 2019: $7.26 million, a slight increase.
• 2020: Back to $6.8 million.

A stable total giving trend indicates that the foundation is likely to maintain similar levels of funding in the coming years. This can be a positive sign for applicants looking for consistent funding opportunities.

What This Means for You:
A stable trend suggests that the foundation has the capacity to continue funding projects at a similar scale, which may benefit organizations seeking medium-sized grants. It’s important to assess whether the grant size fits your needs.

3. Number of Grants Awarded and Grant Size

It’s important to consider the foundation’s grantmaking volume and the average grant size. The number of grants awarded by the foundation fluctuates annually. For instance:

• 2018: 7 grants awarded.
• 2019: 19 grants awarded, a significant increase.
• 2020: 14 grants awarded.

Despite an increase in the number of grants, the average grant size has decreased by about 17% since 2018, signaling a trend toward smaller awards. If you are applying for larger amounts, this could be a limiting factor, as the foundation’s average grant size may not meet the financial needs of larger projects.

How to Evaluate:

• Does the average grant size meet your needs? If your project requires a significant amount of funding, this may not be the best fit, especially given the trend of declining grant sizes.

4. Funding Categories: NTEE Code Breakdown

The National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) Code categorizes the foundation’s funding by area. By reviewing the NTEE code breakdown, you can gain insights into how the foundation allocates its funds. For example:

• Youth Development is the highest-funded category, with $6.15 million awarded.
• Healthcare initiatives, which tend to receive the highest average grant size at $300,000, are another significant focus.
• Recreation & Sports receives the smallest portion of funding, with only $100,000 allocated.

If your project fits within these categories—particularly youth development or public health—you may be a good candidate for funding. However, if your project falls outside these categories, it could be a more challenging match.

What This Means for You:
If your nonprofit works in youth development or healthcare, you might find more success, especially in terms of funding size. However, projects outside these core areas may not be as strongly supported.

5. Openness to New Grantees

Another factor to consider is the foundation’s willingness to fund new grantees. If the foundation predominantly funds repeat grantees, new organizations may face challenges when applying for support. Based on recent trends:

• In 2020, 100% of the grants went to repeat grantees, which suggests that the foundation favors established partners.
• In previous years, around 40% of grants went to new grantees, with the rest allocated to repeat applicants.

What This Means for You:
If your organization is new to the Legacy Foundation, securing funding may be more challenging. Additionally, new grantees receive significantly smaller average awards (e.g., $167,000 in 2019) compared to repeat grantees ($514,000). If you are a new grantee, the odds of receiving larger grants are lower.

6. Geographic Focus

The Legacy Foundation primarily supports projects within central Wisconsin. If your nonprofit is based outside of this region, your chances of receiving funding are significantly lower. The foundation has historically awarded most of its grants to organizations operating within the region.

What This Means for You:
If your organization is located in central Wisconsin, you have a higher likelihood of receiving support. If your project is based outside this area, it may not be a good fit unless you can demonstrate a strong regional or local impact within their focus areas.

Key Actions to Take if You Decide to Apply

If you’ve assessed the foundation and decided it’s a good fit, here are a few steps to help increase your chances of success:

1. Network with Key Decision-Makers: Establish connections with individuals who influence grantmaking decisions at the Legacy Foundation. Networking can help raise your organization’s visibility and improve your chances of being funded.
2. Engage with Past Grantees: Reach out to organizations that have previously received funding from the foundation. They can provide valuable insights into the application process and share their experiences.

Alternative Funding Sources

If you determine that the Legacy Foundation is not the best fit, there are numerous other foundations that might be more aligned with your mission. Some foundations similar to the Legacy Foundation include:

• The Hawn Foundation: Focuses on youth development and community service.
• The Lynch Foundation: Provides support for education, healthcare, and human services.
• The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation: Supports educational and social service initiatives.
• The Chanticleer Charitable Trust: Focuses on public health and community development.

Conclusion

Determining whether the Legacy Foundation of Central Wisconsin is a suitable funding source for your organization requires careful consideration of mission alignment, past funding trends, geographic focus, and the foundation’s openness to new grantees. If your nonprofit’s work is aligned with their priorities and you’re based within the region, there may be a strong opportunity to secure funding. However, if the foundation’s funding trends or grant sizes don’t match your needs, it may be better to explore other funding opportunities. Evaluating funder fit before submitting a proposal ensures that you’re investing your time and resources in the highest ROI opportunities.