The Doug & Carla Salmon Foundation primarily funds local Fox Cities institutions, with a strong emphasis on postsecondary and community education, neighborhood social services, and faith-based organizations. Their giving supports both capital/program needs at regional colleges and universities and front-line human services (food, housing, counseling, domestic abuse), while also backing local arts, history, and environmental projects. Grants are targeted to recognizable community anchors in Appleton and the surrounding area, suggesting a place-based philanthropic strategy focused on strengthening civic, educational, and safety-net capacity.
Doug & Carla Salmon Foundation Inc’s recent giving is anchored by education in the Fox Cities, with multiple seven-figure-adjacent awards concentrated around local colleges and university-affiliated foundations. In 2025, its largest listed grant was $71,500 to Fox Valley Technical College Foundation in Appleton, followed by $67,500 to Uw-Oshkosh Foundation in Oshkosh. That pattern fits a broader portfolio that repeatedly supports postsecondary learning, including Fox Valley Technical College, Lakeland University, and Uw-Oshkosh at Fox Cities. The foundation also backs community institutions that serve daily needs and neighborhood life. Appleton Library, The Trout Museum of Art, and Appleton Historical Society appear among its recent recipients, alongside groups focused on shelter, food assistance, counseling, and domestic abuse services. Taken together, the grants show a place-based funder that directs most support to recognizable Fox Cities anchors and uses philanthropy to reinforce educational access, community services, and civic institutions. The foundation’s grantmaking is steady enough to show recurring relationships with several local organizations, especially in education and human services.
Education is the clearest theme in the recent record. The foundation gave $71,500 to Fox Valley Technical College Foundation for education and $67,500 to Uw-Oshkosh Foundation for education, then added another $47,500 to Uw-Oshkosh Foundation in 2024. Community access to learning also appears in a $48,957 grant to Friends of Appleton Library Incorporated. Human services are another visible strand. In 2025, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley received $29,479 for housing and shelter, while Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services Inc received $14,232 for human services. Food and basic-needs support shows up as well, with a $23,719 grant to St Joseph Food Program. Arts and local heritage are part of the mix through a $45,050 grant to The Trout Museum of Art and a $14,739 grant to Appleton Historical Society.
The typical grant sits in a mid-sized local range: p25 is $10,000, median is $16,500, and p75 is $29,991. The recent record shows both recurring and one-off awards. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including United Way Fox Cities, Leaven Inc, First Congregational Ucc, Uw-Oshkosh Foundation, and Fox Valley Technical College Foundation. The foundation is a public charity, not a fund that gives to individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. Its grants are local and entirely within Wisconsin, with every listed recipient in the same state and many in Appleton, Menasha, and Oshkosh.
$306K
$982K
$503K
$384K
Most grants fall between $10K and $30K, with a median of $17K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$17K
75th Percentile
$30K
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Place‑based and concentrated: a mix of several large multi‑thousand dollar grants to longstanding regional anchors combined with numerous mid/smaller grants to local nonprofits. The foundation shows repeat funding to a handful of core grantees (UW‑Oshkosh, Fox Valley Technical College/Foundation, Leaven, United Way) alongside one‑off gifts to arts, faith and environmental groups.
Notable grantees: UW‑Oshkosh Foundation / UW‑Oshkosh at Fox Cities, Fox Valley Technical College / Fox Valley Technical College Foundation, Leaven Inc, United Way Fox Cities, The Trout Museum of Art
Grantmaking is tightly centered in northeastern Wisconsin. Appleton and Menasha account for many of the listed recipients, with additional awards to Oshkosh, Neenah, Plymouth, and other Fox Cities locations. The top giving state is Wisconsin, and every listed grant went to a Wisconsin recipient. Within the state, Appleton appears frequently through education, arts, and faith-based organizations, while Menasha shows up often in human services, food, and federated giving.
The recent grants show a strong mix of education, human services, and community institutions. Recipients include Fox Valley Technical College Foundation, Uw-Oshkosh Foundation, United Way Fox Cities, Leaven Inc, and The Trout Museum of Art, which points to support for colleges, safety-net services, and local cultural organizations.
Several organizations appear across multiple years, which suggests recurring relationships rather than isolated awards. Examples in the recent record include United Way Fox Cities in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Leaven Inc in 2024 and 2025; First Congregational Ucc in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Uw-Oshkosh Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The distribution is centered in the five-figure range. The p25 grant size is $10,000, the median is $16,500, and the p75 is $29,991, which indicates that many awards are modest local grants rather than very large institutional gifts.
The foundation gives locally and all listed recipients are in Wisconsin. Appleton, Menasha, Oshkosh, Neenah, and Plymouth appear in the recent grants list, with Appleton and Menasha especially prominent among recipient cities.
No. The foundation’s profile identifies it as not funding individuals and not making program-related investments, and the recent grants are all made to organizations rather than people.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION | APPLETON, WI | $71,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UW-OSHKOSH FOUNDATION | OSHKOSH, WI | $67,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| THE TROUT MUSEUM OF ART | APPLETON, WI | $45,050 | 2025 | ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE FOX VALLEY | APPLETON, WI | $29,479 | 2025 | HOUSING & SHELTER |
| APPLETON HISTORICAL SOCIETY | APPLETON, WI | $14,739 | 2025 | ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES |
| CHRISTINE ANN DOMESTIC ABUSE SERVICES INC | OSHKOSH, WI | $14,232 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| THOMPSON CENTER ON LOURDES INC | APPLETON, WI | $14,232 | 2025 | RECREATION & SPORTS |
| FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC (APPLETON) | APPLETON, WI | $12,700 | 2025 | RELIGION-RELATED |
| UNITED WAY FOX CITIES | MENASHA, WI | $11,000 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| CAP SERVICES | APPLETON, WI | $10,000 | 2025 | HOUSING & SHELTER |
| LEAVEN INC | MENASHA, WI | $10,000 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE - APPLETON | APPLETON, WI | $5,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| FRIENDS OF APPLETON LIBRARY INCORPORATED | APPLETON, WI | $48,957 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| UW-OSHKOSH FOUNDATION | OSHKOSH, WI | $47,500 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| GREATER FOX CITIES AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | MENASHA, WI | $28,463 | 2024 | RELIGION-RELATED |
| ST JOSEPH FOOD PROGRAM | MENASHA, WI | $23,719 | 2024 | FOOD, AGRICULTURE & NUTRITION |
| UNITED WAY FOX CITIES | MENASHA, WI | $13,000 | 2024 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC | APPLETON, WI | $12,700 | 2024 | RELIGION-RELATED |
| LEAVEN INC | MENASHA, WI | $12,000 | 2024 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| HECKRODT WETLAND RESERVE | MENASHA, WI | $11,791 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT |
| PILLARS | APPLETON, WI | $10,000 | 2024 | HOUSING & SHELTER |
| CAP SERVICES | APPLETON, WI | $10,000 | 2024 | HOUSING & SHELTER |
| SAMARITAN | MENASHA, WI | $10,000 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH & CRISIS INTERVENTION |
| FEEDING AMERICA EASTERN WISCONSIN - FOX VALLEY | APPLETON, WI | $7,500 | 2024 | FOOD, AGRICULTURE & NUTRITION |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR THE FOX VALLEY REGION | APPLETON, WI | $5,700 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPY, VOLUNTARISM |
| FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE - APPLETON | APPLETON, WI | $5,500 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| THEDACARE FAMILY OF FOUNDATIONS | APPLETON, WI | $50,000 | 2023 | PUBLIC FOUNDATION |
| FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE | APPLETON, WI | $41,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| LAKELAND UNIVERSITY | PLYMOUTH, WI | $36,500 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| UW-OSHKOSH FOUNDATION | OSHKOSH, WI | $31,750 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION | APPLETON, WI | $30,500 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| UW-OSHKOSH AT FOX CITIES | OSHKOSH, WI | $27,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| UNITED WAY FOX CITIES | MENASHA, WI | $26,000 | 2023 | FEDERATED GIVING PROGRAM |
| FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST | APPLETON, WI | $25,000 | 2023 | RELIGION RELATED |
| CAP SERVICES INC | APPLETON, WI | $20,000 | 2023 | HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |
| THE SAMARITAN COUNSELING CENTER OF THE FOX VALLEY INC | MENASHA, WI | $10,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION | NEENAH, WI | $10,000 | 2023 | HEALTH |
| LEAVEN INC | MENASHA, WI | $10,000 | 2023 | HUMAN SERVICES |
APPLETON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$14,739ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES
HUMAN SERVICES
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC (APPLETON)
$12,700RELIGION-RELATED
FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE - APPLETON
$5,500EDUCATION
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC
$12,700RELIGION-RELATED
FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE - APPLETON
$5,500EDUCATION
FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE
$41,000EDUCATION
UW-OSHKOSH AT FOX CITIES
$27,000EDUCATION
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
$25,000RELIGION RELATED
COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER