Watertown Community Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Watertown Community Foundation supports arts and culture, education, the environment, health, human services and youth programs in South Dakota.
IP TAKE: The Watertown Community Foundation is an accessible funder for local groups in their community of Watertown, South Dakota. This funder’s primary lens for giving is community development. Thus, organizations of all types and sizes may find support here, assuming they meet the funder’s geographical interests. The foundation accepts applications for funding at any time of the year and reviews them monthly.
PROFILE: Established in 1979, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) is a community foundation based in Watertown, South Dakota. A group of local civic leaders created this foundation, which has grown substantially since its formation. The foundation "invests in the vitality and future of Watertown by supporting community priorities, responding to human service needs and enhancing recreation, education, arts and culture.” It funds local efforts for arts and culture, education, the environment, health, human services and youth programs.
The Watertown Community Foundation has a wide variety of interests within a very small geographic region. It provides grants for start-up costs, new programs, equipment, one-time projects and capital improvements. The funder provides educational scholarships to local students but does not provide funding to individuals otherwise. Grant opportunities are available through the community foundation’s youth council, women’s philanthropy group, Giving Back 365 program and other award programs offered during the year.
Grant Details:
Grants range between about $5,000 and $50,000. In a recent year, the Watertown Area Community Foundation made a total of nearly $900,000 in grants. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on the Watertown area of South Dakota. Past local grantees include the Lake Area Zoological Society, Watertown Community Concert Association and the Prairie Lakes Hospital.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. It has a link to its grant applications on the foundation website. There are different applications for general grants, Giving Back 365, the youth council, women’s giving group and for Watertown area schools.
The foundation does not have an online application system, so it is necessary to print the application and mail eight copies of it to the foundation office. There are no deadlines, and the foundation accepts applications on an ongoing basis at monthly board meetings. Direct general questions to the staff by email at development@watertowncommunityfoundation.org or by phone at 605-882-3731.
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