30 Years of Impact: Generosity Rooted in the Valley. Growing for Good.

Thirty years ago, a group of civic leaders on both sides of the St. Croix River planted a bold idea: that the Valley’s future would be strongest if generosity stayed rooted close to home.

They believed that when local people come together—sharing their time, talents, and resources—they can fuel lasting change and strengthen the places they love today and for generations to come. Guided by that vision, they rolled up their sleeves, built the

Foundation from the ground up, and planted the first seeds of generosity with their own gifts.

“We saw a community foundation as the perfect vehicle for the transferring of wealth for the whole community, and the idea blossomed,” recalled founding board member David Brandt.

That vision was shaped by connection. “We’re bound together by the river, not separated by it,” said fellow founding board member Orv Johnson, whose insistence on bridging two states helped define a foundation built to serve the entire St. Croix Valley—Wisconsin and Minnesota alike.

The first years took equal parts optimism and grit. “The Foundation didn’t have any money,” remembered founding board member Sarah Andersen, “but we celebrated every $10,000.” Each gift, no matter the size, carried the same purpose: to build something lasting for the people and places they loved.

What began with the shared generosity of 14 founding board members has grown into more than $125 million in charitable assets—resources rooted in local giving and guided by trust. Those early grants, once measured in thousands, have become nearly $111 million in total grants and scholarships, helping people and communities thrive across the Valley.

Thirty years later, the founders’ vision still holds true: generosity planted here has deepened, strengthened, and grown for good—for the good of the Valley and for generations to come.

From First Gifts to Growing Impact

The Foundation’s story of impact in the St. Croix Valley began with the first donor-advised fund—the Sandy Hills Fund, created in 1997 by founding board chair John Baird and his wife, Nancy. Their inaugural grant supported the Partnership Plan for Stillwater Public Schools, helping teachers bring new ideas and inspiration to local classrooms.

Just one year later, a challenge grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board launched the Valley Arts Fund, expanding access to music, theatre, and creative programming for children across the region. Soon after, the Foundation introduced Conversations of the Valley, a civic series that brought neighbors together to discuss the issues shaping community life—from housing and healthcare to education and the environment.

In 2012, local donors and business leaders joined forces through Partners for the Future, contributing $2 million across 19 partner funds to build nonprofit endowments that will strengthen communities for decades to come. Five years later, the Sterbenz Ryan Scholarship Fund, established in 2017, added $4.5 million to support students pursuing higher education—one of the largest scholarship funds in the Foundation’s history.

When the pandemic struck in 2020, the spirit of generosity proved stronger than ever. The COVID-19 Response Fund mobilized $1,098,312 in emergency grants to 111 nonprofits—keeping food shelves stocked, families housed, and essential services operating across the Valley.

Today, that same spirit continues through five regional grant programs responding to the issues that shape daily life—from early childhood development and mental health to the arts, community well-being, and the environment.

From that first classroom grant to today’s regional collaborations, every act of generosity has helped build a Valley where people and communities thrive.

Helping Nonprofits Grow for the Future

The founders knew lasting change required more than one-time gifts. In 1998, Human Services, Inc. (now Canvas Health) created the first nonprofit endowed fund—ensuring that mental-health and social-service programs could continue supporting neighbors year after year.

That seed took hold. Today, nearly 90 nonprofit organizations hold endowed funds that provide steady income for their missions—from youth programs and arts centers to environmental nonprofits and human-service agencies.

The Foundation serves as a trusted partner and steward, managing investments so nonprofits can focus on what they do best: meeting needs, inspiring change, and building stronger communities. That’s what it means to grow for the future—enduring strength for the nonprofits that keep the Valley vibrant.

Community-Led Giving Connects Local Priorities to Regional Strength

Across the St. Croix Valley, generosity grows through local community funds—endowments built by neighbors investing in the places they call home.

The Foundation established its first affiliates in 1999 in Hudson and River Falls, followed by Stillwater Area, Chisago Lakes Area, and Amery in the early 2000s; Somerset, the Lower St. Croix Valley, and New Richmond in the years that followed; and Polk & Burnett Counties in 2015.

Led by volunteer boards of local leaders, these affiliates strengthen community life by growing community funds, connecting donors to local priorities, and guiding hometown grants. Their local insight ensures generosity is deeply rooted in community, and their impact can be seen across the Valley—from grants for environmental education to projects supporting small-town vitality, public art, and mental health.

This locally led, regionally supported model keeps generosity close to home while building a more connected, resilient, and generous Valley—place by place.

Growing for Good

Thirty years after that first bold idea took root, the St. Croix Valley Foundation continues to grow from the same soil of generosity that started it all. What began as a handful of founding gifts has become a region-wide movement of giving—neighbors helping neighbors, donors building legacies, and communities shaping their own future.

Today, hundreds of funds of all types—and legacy gifts—carry that vision forward, connecting generosity with impact across the Valley.

The next chapter belongs to all who believe in this incredible place: donors, advisors, volunteers, nonprofits, and partners working side by side to build what comes next.

Because when generosity is rooted in community and connected across the Valley, it doesn’t just grow. It endures.