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What kinds of causes does the Foundation support?
The Board has set five priority areas for its general funds: caring for
children, developing youth, helping those in need, preserving the environment,
and promoting the community's economic and cultural development. It
uses a competitive proposal process to select grant recipients. In
2006, we will distribute about $150,000 to Oconomowoc-area charities.
Individual funds support the causes specified by their donors.
How do groups qualify for support?
- They must be incorporated charitable organizations or governmental
bodies serving the greater Oconomowoc community (including the Oconomowoc
School District plus Dousman, Wales and Ottawa).
- They must demonstrate sound financial management.
- And they must demonstrate that they can really accomplish something
for the people of Oconomowoc. We look for projects that offer the most
benefit to the community. And we make sure that the groups have the resources,
the experience and the leadership to make their project happen.
What about designated funds? What causes do they
support?
If a named fund specifies that we should support a particular type of
cause, we match it up with a proposal we've received, if possible. Otherwise
we will look for an organization that fulfills their wishes.
If it specifies that particular organizations should receive grants from
their funds, we'll carry out their purposes as long as the organization
meets the legal requirements for charitable organizations and it fulfills
the purposes specified by the donor.
How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your grants?
Because of the competitive proposal process and review, we narrow our
grantees down to the groups most likely to succeed. But we want to make
sure that they do. Every proposal includes a set of objectives that detail
what the group expects to accomplish. During the project and afterward,
groups provide progress reports and final reports concerning accomplishment
of these objectives. A program officer also monitors their progress through
visits or phone calls. If a group isn't making progress, we may
hold up grant payments. If a project doesn't get started because it didn't
attract enough resources or key personnel left, we may cancel the grant.
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