The Nicolet National Foundation is a regionally focused funder that concentrates on sustaining community institutions across northeast Wisconsin — especially K–12 and technical education, local healthcare, youth recreation, and social services. Grants are almost exclusively unrestricted or general operating support and often go to well‑established local nonprofits (including faith‑affiliated schools and community foundations). The foundation favors pragmatic, community‑level capacity building rather than project‑specific or national initiatives.
A defining feature of Nicolet National Foundation Inc. is its repeated support for ongoing operations at established community institutions in northeast Wisconsin. The largest recent grant in the data is $100,000 to Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay for ongoing operations, and the foundation has also returned to several recipients across multiple years, including Oshkosh Kids Foundation, Thedacare Family of Foundation, and Unified School District of De Pere. That pattern points to a funder that uses flexible support to help local nonprofits keep services steady rather than backing short-term projects. Its grant list shows a consistent mix of Catholic and independent K–12 education, workforce and technical education, local health philanthropy, youth recreation, and basic social services. The foundation’s gifts are concentrated in Wisconsin organizations, with recipient cities spanning Green Bay, Oshkosh, Appleton, De Pere, Sturgeon Bay, Wausau, Seymour, and Eau Claire. Recent awards also include support for a domestic abuse service, an EMS provider, and a YMCA foundation, showing attention to the operational needs of both social-service and community-serving organizations.
Education is a clear priority. In 2025, Nicolet National Foundation Inc. gave $100,000 to Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay for ongoing operations, and it also supported Unified School District of De Pere with $25,000 in 2025 and $25,000 in 2024. Workforce and technical education also appears in the record. The foundation gave $25,000 in 2025, 2024, and 2023 to Nwtc Education Foundation in Green Bay, indicating sustained support for that institution. Health and human services show up through grants such as $25,000 to Thedacare Family of Foundation in Appleton in 2025, alongside $25,000 to Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services in Oshkosh and $7,500 to Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin in Green Bay, both for ongoing operations. Youth and recreation are part of the mix as well, including $25,000 to Fox Valley Pop Warner Football in Appleton and $15,000 to Woodson YMCA Foundation in Wausau.
Typical grants cluster tightly around a narrow band: p25 is $18,750, median is $25,000, and p75 is $25,000. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off grants. The foundation gives as a conventional grantmaker, not through program-related investments, and it does not fund individuals. Grants in the data are framed mainly as assistance for ongoing operations, with flexibility emphasized over project-specific funding.
$277K
$2.5M
$732K
$339K
Most grants fall between $19K and $25K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$25K
ERIC WITCZAK
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Concentrated, local-focused giving that prioritizes multi-year or repeat operational support to a small set of core regional institutions; grants are mid-to-large sized for a community foundation ($7.5k–$150k) and primarily unrestricted/general operating.
Notable grantees: Oshkosh Kids Foundation, Notre Dame Academy, ThedaCare Family of Foundations, NWTC Education Foundation, Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services
Giving is entirely in Wisconsin in the recent grants list, and the foundation’s top giving state is WI. Recipient cities include Green Bay, Oshkosh, Appleton, De Pere, Sturgeon Bay, Wausau, Seymour, and Eau Claire. Green Bay appears several times, but the distribution reaches beyond the HQ city into northeast Wisconsin communities and a few other parts of the state, including Eau Claire in western Wisconsin.
The recent grants favor established local nonprofits and community institutions. Recipients include schools, a technical education foundation, hospital philanthropy groups, youth recreation organizations, domestic abuse services, a family services agency, an EMS provider, and community foundations, mostly for ongoing operations.
The typical grant size is tightly grouped around $25,000. The distribution shown is p25 at $18,750, median at $25,000, and p75 at $25,000.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Oshkosh Kids Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Nwtc Education Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Thedacare Family of Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Unified School District of De Pere in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Woodson YMCA Foundation in 2024 and 2025.
The recent grants are 100% to U.S. recipients, and all of the grants in the list go to organizations in Wisconsin. Recipient cities include Green Bay, Oshkosh, Appleton, De Pere, Sturgeon Bay, Wausau, Seymour, and Eau Claire.
The grant purposes repeatedly say “assist ongoing ops,” which indicates a core-support approach. The foundation’s recent awards are mainly unrestricted or flexible operating support rather than project-specific funding.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOTRE DAME ACADEMY | GREEN BAY, WI | $100,000 | 2025 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| OSHKOSH KIDS FOUNDATION | OSHKOSH, WI | $50,000 | 2025 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| VALLEY PACKAGING INDUSTRIES INC | APPLETON, WI | $36,500 | 2025 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DE PERE | DE PERE, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| THEDACARE FAMILY OF FOUNDATION | APPLETON, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| NWTC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | GREEN BAY, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| WOODSON YMCA FOUNDATION | WAUSAU, WI | $15,000 | 2025 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| OSHKOSH KIDS FOUNDATION | OSHKOSH, WI | $50,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| FOX VALLEY POP WARNER FOOTBALL | APPLETON, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| NWTC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | GREEN BAY, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DE PERE | DE PERE, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| THEDACARE FAMILY OF FOUNDATION | APPLETON, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| FEED MY PEOPLE | EAU CLAIRE, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| CHRISTINE ANN DOMESTIC ABUSE SERVICES | OSHKOSH, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| DOOR COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | STURGEON BAY, WI | $20,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| WOODSON YMCA FOUNDATION | WAUSAU, WI | $15,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| STELLA MARIS FOUNDATION | GREEN BAY, WI | $10,000 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| FAMILY SERVICES OF NORTHEAST WISCONSIN | GREEN BAY, WI | $7,500 | 2024 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| OSHKOSH KIDS FOUNDATION | OSHKOSH, WI | $50,000 | 2023 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DE PERE | DE PERE, WI | $25,000 | 2023 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| THEDACARE FAMILY OF FOUNDATION | APPLETON, WI | $25,000 | 2023 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| NWTC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | GREEN BAY, WI | $25,000 | 2023 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| SEYMOUR EMS INC | SEYMOUR, WI | $12,000 | 2023 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
| DOOR COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | STURGEON BAY, WI | $5,500 | 2023 | ASSIST ONGOING OPS |
NOTRE DAME ACADEMY
$100,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DE PERE
$25,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
ASSIST ONGOING OPS
WOODSON YMCA FOUNDATION
$15,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
FOX VALLEY POP WARNER FOOTBALL
$25,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DE PERE
$25,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
WOODSON YMCA FOUNDATION
$15,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
STELLA MARIS FOUNDATION
$10,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DE PERE
$25,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS
SEYMOUR EMS INC
$12,000ASSIST ONGOING OPS