Community Foundation of Chippewa County Awarded Rural Collaboration Project Grants from Compeer Financial

The Community Foundation of Chippewa County announced it received Rural Collaboration Project grants from Compeer Financial as part of the cooperative’s commitment to rural vitality. The Community Foundation will direct the funds to support two projects associated with the Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Welding Academy at PMI
A grant in the amount of $37,000 will be utilized by Chippewa Valley Technical College, which will deliver instruction for the Welding Academy at PMI (Processed Metal Innovators) in Bloomer.
The Welding Academy will run from August through December and will serve students in Bloomer School District and neighboring rural school districts. Grant funds will be used to support instruction and to purchase equipment and supplies for the academy to provide hands-on experiences for students.
Students enrolled in this academy will learn about welding safety and wire feeding welding processes. It is designed to provide basic skills for entry-level employment in production welding, empowering students to explore a local career path while still in high school.

Spirit of St. Joseph’s Community Garden
A grant in the amount of $9,000 has been awarded to the Spirit of St. Joseph’s Community Garden, a volunteer-led organization that manages and coordinates a community garden set on land donated for use at the Chippewa Falls campus of Chippewa Valley Technical College. The garden’s mission is to increase access to fresh, nutritious produce for Chippewa County residents experiencing food insecurity. All garden yields are donated to pantries throughout the county at no cost to individuals and families who struggle to afford fresh food because of financial limitations.

With the grant funds, Community Garden volunteers will purchase tools and equipment, construct and equip a greenhouse to start plants from seed, ensuring more resilient crops, and build additional raised garden beds to encourage volunteer participation from older adults, which is anticipated to increase yields.

CFCC Jill Herriges, Executive Director, shared.
“Community Foundations play a vital role in bringing partners together to strengthen local communities, and the Rural Collaboration grants clearly demonstrate that impact. We were pleased to accept the Compeer grant opportunity and support the innovative proposals from CVTC and the Community Garden. We look forward to the meaningful outcomes these efforts will generate, from enhanced student training to the continued growth and success of the community garden.”

CVTC President Sunem Beaton-Garcia echoed those sentiments.
“Partnerships like this demonstrate what’s possible when we invest in rural communities. Together with the Community Foundation of Chippewa County and Compeer Financial, we’re creating opportunities that strengthen our workforce and improve quality of life throughout the region,” she said. “The Welding Academy at PMI is a powerful example of how we meet students where they are, bringing hands-on, career-focused education directly into rural communities.
“This is what community partnership looks like: education, workforce, and well-being coming together to create stronger rural communities.”

Compeer Financial, a Farm Credit cooperative, has committed more than $1.4 million to 14 foundations across Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin through its Compeer Giving Rural Collaboration Project. Selected community and initiative foundations will disperse funds to organizations aligned with the long-term strategic vision for community vitality.

“As a rural lending cooperative, Compeer Financial understands the importance of empowering rural communities to be active, strong and economically vibrant,” said Karen Schieler, manager of Compeer Giving at Compeer Financial. “These qualities are essential to creating a high quality of life for rural residents, which helps retain and attract residents. How each community achieves this will be different, which is why we have the Rural Collaboration Project. It allows us to collaborate with foundations that best understand the needs within their communities and disperse funds where they will make the greatest impact.”

Wisconsin Community foundations supported through the 2026 Compeer Giving Rural Collaboration Project grants include:
Wisconsin:
• Community Foundation of Chippewa County
• Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin
• Fond du Lac Area Foundation
• Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation
• Viroqua Area Foundation

To be eligible for a Rural Collaboration Project grant, communities must be within Compeer Financial’s 144-county territory and demonstrate that community leaders are working together on enhancements and improvements focused on short- and long-term vitality. In addition, the community population should be under 10,000; represent a regional, rural micropolitan area of 50,000 residents; or represent a regional initiative foundation.