Fort Atkinson Community Foundation

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Fort Atkinson Community Foundation

Fort Atkinson Community Foundation, where gifts today build better tomorrows

The mission of the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation is to receive donations for educational, cultural, charitable, or benevolent purposes and use them to benefit our residents and enhance the quality of life in the Fort Atkinson area.

09/01/2026

All Fort Atkinson schools are officially back in session, so we thought it would be a great day to remind everyone about our Educator Wish Grants!

This unique funding opportunity seeks to provide local educators with small grants to aid the learning needs and environments of the students they serve. The intent is to provide financial assistance, beyond what tax dollars and school budgets can support.

"This year, because of our organization’s growth and continued thorough discussions within our board, we recognized an opportunity to better meet the needs of our educators and have increased the maximum grant amount from $500 to $750," notes Jim Schulenburg, FACF Board Chairman.

Applications are being accepted until 5pm on September 30th and can be requested by contacting foundation staff at [email protected].

To read the full press release with details on the grants, click below:
https://tinyurl.com/4hcnmmmj

Interested in supporting the fund? Click below to make an online donation, or mail a check donation to 244 N. Main Street with "Educator Wish Grant Fund" noted in the memo.

Donate HERE: https://rb.gy/s34zxp

08/31/2026

Check out the new Rapid Flashing Beacons on Janesville Avenue!

Our foundation recently paid out a previously awarded grant to the City of Fort Atkinson, WI-Government in support of half the cost for two new Rapid Flashing Beacons to be purchased and installed. The installation of the one on Janesville Avenue (crossing from Jones Park to Jones Market) was recently completed.

We are so thankful for this new safety feature allowing for more ease of access for pedestrians to some of the great assets in our city.

Thanks for the partnership (and photos!), City of Fort!

08/28/2026

Just kidding, we have ONE more scholarship update to share! :)

Although our scholarship awards mostly wrap up in May, we have one very unique scholarship that is celebrated over the summer.

The Ed Karrels Computer Science Scholarship was established in October 2011 and is funded through annual gifts to the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation by Edward Karrels. Karrels was a 1992 graduate of Fort Atkinson High School who parlayed his computer science degree into a rewarding career at early Google. Mr. Karrels set up this scholarship to encourage Fort Atkinson students to explore the field of computer science.

There is no application process for this scholarship. Rather, any student who successfully completes the AP Computer Science class at Fort Atkinson High School and then passes the Computer Science AP exam with a score of 3, 4 or 5 no later than three months after passing the class, is automatically eligible for this $2,000 scholarship.

Noted below are the students who received their award and/or passed the class & exam this past school year. The Juniors will be eligible to receive their award next year!

08/27/2026

Congratulations to the 12 individuals who received AAUW scholarships this year, totaling $28,000!

Anastasia Vechnisky, Jaci Saeger, Katie Luebke, and Hannah Foley all received AAUW Second Chance scholarships, ranging from $3,000 - $5,000. This fund provides local scholarships to women who plan to continue, or are continuing, their education at a vocational/technical college or an undergraduate program at a college or university after having been out of formal education for at least one year.

Mariana Gamez, Natalie Kammer, and Ruth Stiemke all received AAUW Jane Shaw Knox Undergraduate scholarships, ranging from $1,000 - $2,000.

Emmigail Belzer, Lauren Bilau, Alexis Zwieg, and Kaitlyn Schneider all received AAUW Jane Shaw Knox Graduate scholarships, for $2,000 each.

The Jane Shaw Knox Scholarship Funds were developed by members of the Fort Atkinson branch of AAUW to provide a funding support for women completing bachelor’s degrees and post-graduate degrees. The concept held a special place for Jane Shaw Knox, a charter member of the branch. Following her death, the Knox family established a memorial fund through the Foundation to fund the scholarships.

Congratulations to these students and THANK YOU to the AAUW organization, Knox Family, and all who support these funds!

08/25/2026

It's hard to believe, but we STILL have some scholarship recognitions to share!

Congratulations to Katie Luebke, Maren Selle, Jaci Saeger, Zachary Cleppe, Evelyn Cruz Palacios, and Eleanor Kohl, who were all recipients of a 2026 Jim and Lee Vance Scholarship. The awards ranged from $4,500 - $7,000 for a total of $32,000 in scholarship awards from this generous fund.

This scholarship was established by the late Jim & Lee Vance, to support students who are pursuing educational paths similar to Jim’s and Lee’s educational interests. Thanks to their generosity, we can provide impactful financial support and encouragement to Fort Atkinson students.

Please join us in congratulating these six students and thanking the Vance family for their meaningful support!

08/24/2026

It was an honor to join this event and help welcome the educators who are new to schools in our community this year!

We wish them all a wonderful school year, hope they consider applying for an Educator Wish Grant, and hopefully look forward to working with some of them on future grant opportunities to support their work, students, and families!

Thank you, Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce, for hosting this wonderful gathering.

08/21/2026

We're very excited to share even more Fort Polar Path news!

Last week, we announced our foundation board's approval of a $10,000 matching grant to support the Polar Path project this year (new light displays, replacements of bulbs in current light displays, other maintenance, etc.).

And today, we're thrilled to share that there is now a Polar Path Non-Endowed Designated Fund held in our portfolio, making it even easier for community members who want to support this fun, engaging, seasonal light display.

Thank you to the Fort Atkinson Beautification Council for this new partnership and for all the time and energy their volunteers invest in this annual project.

To donate to the fund, please scan the QR or click below:
https://facf.iphiview.com/facf/AccessYourFund/OnlineDonation/tabid/542/dispatch/contribution_id$26605_hash$ec8c0a5096e3c5522df9728001753212ef7787d2/Default.aspx

Please note, those looking to purchase new light displays should still do so directly through the Beautification Council by contacting [email protected].

08/20/2026

Congratulations to Emmigail Belzer, Jada Zorn, Cassidy Spies, Lauren Bilau, Tayanna Schwefel, and Juanita Tarp who each received a $4,500 Walter and Louise Buell Graduate Scholarships, for a total distribution of $27,000!

Four of those recipients – Juanita Tarp, Jada Zorn, Lauren Bilau, and Tayanna Schwefel, were also recipients of a Ralph and Clara Rutledge Memorial Scholarship, totaling $7,800.

We are deeply indebted to the Buell and Rutledge families who, having no children of their own, decided to endow significant funds with our foundation to help students from their hometown achieve their educational goals.

We wish the best of luck to these students and remain deeply appreciative for the incredible generosity of these two families.

08/19/2026

Today, we're excited to highlight three of our undergraduate/graduate scholarship funds and their 2026 scholarship recipients.

Congratulations Calvin Tamblyn, Eleanor Kohl and Calum Fettig, who collectively received $9,200 in awards from our Robert C. and Judith L. Knapp Scholarship Fund. The purpose of this award, supported by Fort Atkinson residents Dr. and Mrs. Knapp, is to provide scholarships for graduates of FAHS, or residents of Fort Atkinson, who are currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in mathematics, physics, engineering, music performance, or music education at a college or university.

Congratulations to Makenzie Cramlet, the recipient of a $1,400 V.C. and Blanche Helgren Martin Scholarship. The scholarship is available to graduates of FAHS who are currently enrolled as a full-time student in a four-year college or university. The recipient must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the fields of English, journalism, theater, or other related language arts areas, as well as the field of architecture.

Congratulations to Mariana Gamez, the recipient of a $1,000 Gene Halker Memorial Scholarship. This award, established by the family of Gene Halker, a 1994 graduate of Fort High school, provides scholarships for graduates of FAHS or residents of the Fort Atkinson area who are currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in economics, business, literature or any related field.

Congrats to all these students and THANK YOU to the fundholders who see the value in investing in their education!

08/18/2026

An important reminder to all of our 2026 scholarship recipients to submit the required information, as outlined in your award letter, to our office to initiate payment of your award.

NO scholarship payments are automatically issued to a school on a student's behalf, as we cannot do so without your student ID number and proof of enrollment.

Any questions about scholarship payments can be directed to our office at 920.563.3210 or [email protected].

We are so honored to issue these awards and we want to ensure they are all paid out (on time!) to support the post-secondary educations of so many local students!

Address

244 N Main Street
Fort Atkinson, WI
53538

Website

http://fortfoundation.org/

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