Madison Community Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Madison Community Foundation supports community development, the environment, learning, arts and culture and nonprofit capacity building in Dane County, Wisconsin.
IP TAKE: MCF awards program, capital and endowment challenge grants for five well-defined interest areas, but it supports additional topics through its various funds.
PROFILE: Established in 1942, the Madison Community Foundation (MCF) is a community foundation based in Madison, Wisconsin. It was originally called the Madison Community Trust, and it typically grants around $12 million to organizations annually. The foundation aims to "enhance the common good through philanthropy.” MSC funds local efforts for community development, the environment, learning, arts and culture and nonprofit capacity building.
The Madison Community Foundation awards community impact grants for a wide variety of local causes, including STEM education, race equity, entrepreneurship, literacy, environmental conservation and access to the arts. These grants fund expanding projects, new partnerships and equipment purchases. MCF also helps steward several field-of-interest funds that support the elderly and people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. Other organizations within MCF that award their own competitive grants are A Fund for Women, Fund for Children, American Girl, Altrusa International of Madison and the Great Performance Fund for Theater.
Grants range between about $10,000 and $100,000. Grantmaking focuses Madison and elsewhere in Dane County, Wisconsin. Past local grantees include Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison, GiGi’s Playhouse‐Madison, and the Madison Reading Project. Learn more about this funder’s local giving on the community impact grants page of the funder’s website.
This foundation accepts unsolicited letters of injury from nonprofits for its community impact grants. There is one grant cycle per year that features a LOI due date in August, complete application due date in October and award announcements in December. Other funds at MCF have their own unique guidelines and deadlines. Direct general questions to the staff at bredepenning@madisongives.org or 608-232-1763.
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