Deep Local Roots. A Community Fund Built for River Falls.
The River Falls Community Foundation has been growing generosity close to home since 1999. As one of the St. Croix Valley Foundation’s local community affiliates, we are locally led, hometown-focused, and deeply connected to the needs and opportunities of River Falls.
Our volunteer advisory board guides the River Falls Forever Fund—the permanent community endowment created to invest in what matters most right here. With local insight and the regional strength of the St. Croix Valley Foundation behind us, we help generosity grow into lasting impact for River Falls—today and for generations to come.
Give Where You Live. Grow What You Love.
The River Falls Forever Fund is a long-term, permanent community endowment that fuels local grants, local partnerships, and local impact.
Gifts to the Forever Fund stay in River Falls—supporting priorities identified by the people who know this community best. And because we’re part of the St. Croix Valley Foundation, donors can choose to give locally or Valley-wide or both with confidence that every gift is wisely managed and built to last.
How Local Generosity Shows Up
Grants from the River Falls Forever Fund have supported:
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Programs that foster belonging and student success
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Efforts that strengthen mental health and youth wellbeing
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Community-building initiatives that bring neighbors together
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Nonprofits working to expand access, equity, and opportunity
Local Grants that Strengthen River Falls
Each year, we award grants to local nonprofits through the River Falls Forever Fund—supporting programs that reflect our community’s values, priorities, and vision for the future.
Our grant cycle typically opens in June, with decisions sent in the fall. Guidelines and application links are posted here when available.
River Falls nonprofits may also be eligible for regional grant opportunities offered through the St. Croix Valley Foundation, including the Vibrant Communities Mental Health Grants, which bring affiliates together with the Foundation to support mental health and wellbeing across our six-county region.
Our locally-led, regionally supported grant programs are designed to strengthen community life—and help River Falls thrive.
Impact Spotlight: Remembered in River Falls
For more than twenty years, the River Falls community honored the life and generous spirit of Tim Linehan through a memorial fund supported by family, friends, and community events.
When it came time to close the fund this year, Tim’s wife Sandy wanted the impact to continue—permanently. With deep trust, she transferred the memorial fund into the River Falls Forever Fund, ensuring Tim’s legacy will live on through annual grants that strengthen the community he loved.
Led by Local Volunteers Who Know & Love This Community
Affiliate advisory board members are trusted local leaders who guide grantmaking from the River Falls Forever Fund, build donor connections, and help ensure philanthropy reflects local needs and aspirations.
Role of the Board:
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Recommend grants that strengthen River Falls
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Champion local philanthropy and share impact stories
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Cultivate donor relationships rooted in trust
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Share community insight that guides both local and regional strategy
River Falls Community Foundation Board of Directors:
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Alex Burian, Chair
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Katherine Ball
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David Bell
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Cindy Kleven
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Brian Majerus
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Mike Miller
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Jennifer O'Neil
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Mike Thompson
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Alex Richert
Help Grow the Future of River Falls
Whether you give, volunteer, or help spread the word, you’re part of something bigger—a community growing good, one gift at a time.
Ways to Get Involved:
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Give to the River Falls Forever Fund
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Start a donor-advised fund to support River Falls
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Leave a legacy gift that benefits your hometown
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Join the River Falls Community Foundation board
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Share stories of impact from the River Falls Community Foundation
