Community-Led. Valley-Strong.

Meet Our Local Affiliates

Deep Local Roots. One Valley-Wide Foundation.

Across the St. Croix Valley, generosity takes many forms—from regional initiatives and donor-advised funds to local endowments that grow right where people live, work, and give back.

Our nine local community affiliates embody those deep local roots. Led by trusted volunteers, they strengthen community life, connect donors to local priorities, and grow charitable resources that support their communities. These affiliates operate with local leadership and decision-making, supported by the shared purpose and regional strength of the St. Croix Valley Foundation.

Together, we’re growing a culture of generosity that strengthens people, nonprofits, and communities across our six-county region, now and for the future.

Find Your Local Affiliate

Minnesota: Chisago Lakes Area | Lower St. Croix Valley | Stillwater Area

Community-Led Funds. Shared Stewardship.

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Each of the Foundation’s local affiliates oversees and grows a permanent community fund—endowed resources created to meet local needs today and for generations to come.

The St. Croix Valley Foundation complements this local leadership with a full spectrum of giving options—donor advised funds, legacy gifts, regional grant programs, and field-of-interest funds. Through our shared structure, donors can give locally, Valley-wide, or both, with confidence that every gift is wisely managed and built to last.

Together, the Foundation and its affiliates help grow generosity and strengthen communities.

Locally-Led Grantmaking Across the Valley

Local community funds do more than steward generosity—they invest it back into the people, programs, and places that define each community.

Each affiliate awards grants that reflect local priorities such as youth, families, mental health, food access, the arts, and community connection. Local volunteers guide this grantmaking, ensuring decisions are rooted in real-time community data and insights.

Many affiliates also participate in regional Foundation programs—including the Vibrant Communities Mental Health Grants—which strengthen wellbeing across our six-county region.

Together, local leadership and regional partnership help generosity take root close to home and grow into lasting impact.

GRANT PROGRAMS

Meet the Local Community Affiliates

Each local affiliate reflects the people, values, and aspirations of its community.

Local Impact Spotlight

Paul & Cleo Wenzel along the Apple River in Somerset, Wisconsin.

For the Love of Somerset: How one couple's love for their community inspired a lasting investment in its future

For the Wenzels, this story isn't about them. It's about a community that shaped their lives, and their desire to ensure that same spirit of generosity continues to strengthen Somerset long into the future.

Teacher Erin Hoff and Students Water Garden

Growing More Than Vegetables: How a grant from the Somerset Community Fund is helping Garden to Give cultivate generosity and nourish a community

For students in Somerset Elementary's Garden to Give program, that first bite is often followed by an even bigger discovery. Every season, the vegetables they plant, weed, water, and harvest are donated to the Somerset Food Pantry, where they help provide fresh food for local families.

St. Croix Valley Foundation Opens Grant Opportunities Through Its Local Community Affiliates

Locally-guided grant programs invest in nonprofits, community priorities, and bold ideas that strengthen communities across the Valley.

Together, We Grow the Valley

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From Afton to North Branch, Siren to River Falls, generosity is taking root in every corner of the Valley.

Local community funds make it possible for neighbors to invest in what matters most—while the Foundation’s shared strength ensures that impact endures.

Every grant, every donor, and every act of giving adds up to something larger: a thriving St. Croix Valley connected by care and built to last.

JOIN US IN GROWING GOOD