The St. Croix Valley Foundation on May 5 announced $821,407 in second-round Capacity Building Grants to 24 nonprofit organizations. In just six months, the program has invested more than $1.26 million in 46 organizations across the St. Croix Valley—strengthening leadership, systems, and long-term sustainability for nonprofits across the region.

“This second round really reinforces what we’re hearing across the region: nonprofits are not just asking for support, they’re increasingly thinking about how to adapt, collaborate, and sustain their work for the future,” said Angie Pilgrim, Vice President of Community Impact at the St. Croix Valley Foundation.

“What’s especially exciting is the level of thoughtfulness we’re seeing—many organizations are stepping back to assess what’s needed, investing in systems and leadership, and working across sectors to solve complex challenges. That’s exactly what this program is designed to support.”

Strengthening the systems behind the mission

What this funding supports isn’t always visible, but it’s what makes everything else work.

In this round, nonprofits are investing in leadership, systems, and partnerships to respond to rising demand, navigate change, and sustain their impact over time. This work shows up in different ways—from building better data to making smarter decisions about what comes next.

Kinnickinnic River Land Trust received a $93,220 Implementation Grant to develop a Healthy Environments, Healthy Communities Dashboard. The project brings together environmental and public health data into a single platform to inform decision-making and support community action.

“This project is about connecting the dots between environmental health, community health, and the decisions we make moving forward,” said Steve Leonard, Executive Director of Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. “By bringing together data from across partners into one shared dashboard, we can better understand trends, identify priorities, and work collaboratively to protect the watershed and the communities that depend on it.”

ABC for Rural Health, based in Turtle Lake and serving Burnett, Polk, St. Croix, and Pierce counties in Wisconsin, received a $25,000 Planning Grant to strengthen its future. The organization will continue helping families navigate health coverage and access care while managing a leadership transition and growing demand for its services.

“We’re at a critical moment, facing both a surge in demand and an evolving leadership transition,” said Mike Rust, Chief Operating Officer of ABC for Rural Health. “This planning effort allows us to be proactive by preserving institutional knowledge, strengthening continuity, and building a path forward that ensures rural communities continue to have access to the care and advocacy they need.”

Second-round capacity building grant recipients

The following 24 organizations received second-round awards through the Foundation’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program:

Organization Name	Project Name	Funding Avenue	Grant Amount
The Food Group	Growing Staff Capacity and Agricultural Networks	Experience	$10,000.00
YMCA of the North	Little Seeds Nature Preschool Professional Capacity Expansion Grant	Experience	$7,245.00
ABC for Rural Health, Inc.	Planning to Sustain & Strengthen the Rural Health Safety Net	Planning	$25,000.00
ArtReach St. Croix	Strategic Planning to Supercharge ArtReach	Planning	$25,000.00
BRIDGE for Community Life, Inc.	BRIDGE Development Plan & the Details are in the Data	Planning	$16,971.00
Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley	FRCSCV Data System Planning Project	Planning	$25,000.00
Freedom Park Center	Freedom Park Center Capacity Building and Planning Project	Planning	$25,000.00
Interfaith Caregivers of Polk County, Inc.	Community Connections	Planning	$25,000.00
Marine Library Association	Integrated Strategic Planning and Program Evaluation	Planning	$25,000.00
Mental Health Task Force of Polk County	Planning for What Comes Next	Planning	$25,000.00
River Valley Trails, INC.	Capacity First: Strategic Alignment for Responsible Growth	Planning	$15,000.00
St. Croix Valley Opera	SCVO Strategic Plan & Capacity Building Roadmap	Planning	$22,800.00
Thug Life Ministry	Sustainability of the Thug program	Planning	$11,000.00
United Way of Washington County-East	UWWCE Strategic Planning	Planning	$25,000.00
Valley Friendship Club	Valley Friendship Club – Strategic Planning	Planning	$15,000.00
Camp Odayin	Advancing Technology for Organizational Impact	Implementation	$27,782.00
Cancer Legal Care	Launching New Financial, Donor, and IT Systems	Implementation	$57,789.00
Family Friendly Workplaces, Inc.	Claude AI Implementation	Implementation	$6,000.00
Kinnickinnic River Land Trust	Healthy Environments, Healthy Communities Dashboard	Implementation	$93,220.00
Lakes Center for Youth and Families	Data Systems to Strengthen Youth Impact	Implementation	$100,000.00
Open Cupboard	Building our Future: Taking our Development Program to the Next Level	Implementation	$62,800.00
Philadelphia Community Farm	Values-Based Fundraising for Long-Term Stability	Implementation	$50,000.00
St. Croix Valley Food Bank	Building Infrastructure for Hunger Relief with Funding Sustainability	Implementation	$94,300.00
The Connect Center	CRM Purchase and Implementation	Implementation	$31,500.00

A regional response to a changing nonprofit landscape

The Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program is made possible through the Nonprofit Stability Collaborative Fund—a bold, $3.5 million investment in the strength and sustainability of St. Croix Valley nonprofits.

Established at the St. Croix Valley Foundation in 2025 by regional philanthropic partners, the Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation and the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation, the Fund was created in direct response to a pivotal moment for the nonprofit sector.

The program offers quarterly funding across four areas—Experiences, Planning, Implementation, and System-Wide Infrastructure. The next application deadline is May 31, 2026. Learn more at scvfoundation.org/nonprofits/grants/capacity-building.