Racine Community Foundation

What Racine Community Foundation does

Racine Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation established in 1975 and headquartered at 1135 Warwick Way, Suite 200, Racine, Wisconsin. It stewards a $90+ million endowment and serves as Racine County's primary institutional grantmaker and scholarship administrator, with cumulative grants of 14.6 thousand awards totaling $58.1 million since inception. The foundation distributes over $3.5 million in grants annually to nonprofit organizations across six focus areas: Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Healthcare, and Human Services. It also manages 40+ scholarship funds established by private donors to support Racine County students attending college.

The foundation operates a structured, competitive grant cycle with a January 31 Letter of Intent deadline and invite-only full applications across spring, summer, and fall cycles. Applications are processed through Cognito Forms, and the foundation maintains compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations set by the Council on Foundations and holds the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency. It is governed by a board chaired by Justus Morgan with four vice-chair roles (Donor Development, Grants, Investments, Finance/Treasurer), a Secretary, 13 board members, and three staff members led by President & CEO Liz Powell.

The revenue model is dual-stream: endowment investment returns sustain operations and grantmaking from a perpetually endowed base that rarely draws on principal, while charitable contributions from private donors fund new scholarship funds and grow the endowment. The target customer segments are Racine County-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits (grantees), Racine County high school and college students (scholarship recipients), and private donors seeking tax-efficient charitable legacies. The foundation does not charge recipients for grants or scholarships; it is funded through endowment returns and donor contributions.

Name

Racine Community Foundation

Legal name

Racine Community Foundation

Website

https://racinecommunityfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Racine Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation established in 1975 that stewards a $90+ million endowment to award over $3.5 million annually in grants to Racine County nonprofits and manage 40+ scholarship funds for local students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Community foundation
• Grantmaking services
• Scholarship administration
• Endowment stewardship
• Nonprofit funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Racine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Endowment Investment Returns: The foundation manages a $90+ million endowment and awards over $3.5 million in grants every year. Funds are endowed, meaning they rarely take money from principal, using investment returns to fund operations and grants.
2. Charitable Contributions/Donations: The foundation receives charitable contributions from private donors who create scholarship funds and support the endowment. They facilitate tax-deductible charitable contributions for donors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Racine Community Foundation is a perpetual community foundation that stewards a $90+ million endowment to award competitive grants to Racine County nonprofit organizations across six focus areas and to administer 40+ scholarship funds for Racine County students. It also accepts tax-deductible charitable contributions from donors to create customized funds, including bequests and legacy gifts.

Product overview

Racine Community Foundation is a nonprofit endowment organization offering a suite of philanthropic services centered around two core offerings: competitive grant programs for Racine County nonprofits and scholarship fund management for local students. The Foundation stewards a $90+ million endowment to provide perpetual funding, supplemented by donor services that facilitate charitable giving and legacy creation. The organization operates across six focus areas (Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Human Services) and has awarded over $3.5 million in grants annually, managing more than 40 scholarship funds tied to regional high schools and universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Programs Competitive grant programs funding nonprofit organizations in Racine County across six focus areas: Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Healthcare, and Human Services. Recipients apply through an annual Letter of Intent process (January 31 deadline) followed by invite-only applications.
• Scholarship Programs Administration of 40+ scholarship funds established by community donors to help Racine County students attend college. Scholarships are tied to specific high schools and universities, with applications processed through school guidance and financial aid offices.
• Donor Services Processing of tax-deductible charitable contributions and legacy planning services for private donors, enabling the creation of customized funds, scholarship funds, and bequests that support Racine County in perpetuity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,600 grants awarded since 1975
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Council on FoundationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Racine Community Foundation operates in compliance with National Standards for Community Foundations set forth by the Council on Foundations, demonstrating adherence to rigorous standards for community foundation operations.
• GuideStar (Candid)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuideStar provides the Platinum Transparency Seal for the organization, demonstrating commitment to nonprofit transparency and accountability standards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Green Bay Community Foundation: Wisconsin community foundation with an endowed grantmaking model serving a defined geographic area. Same competitive grant process, scholarship administration, and donor-advised fund offerings.
• Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin: Wisconsin-based community foundation providing grants, scholarships, and donor services from an endowed base. Comparable structure with National Standards compliance and similar regional focus.
• Madison Community Foundation: Wisconsin community foundation operating the same perpetual endowment model, with grantmaking across multiple focus areas and scholarship fund administration. Comparable nonprofit grantmaking and donor-advised fund services.
• Waukesha County Community Foundation: Wisconsin county-level community foundation with similar endowment stewardship, competitive grant cycles, and scholarship fund management. Closely comparable scale and single-county geographic footprint.
• Greater Milwaukee Foundation: Wisconsin's largest community foundation, also stewarding an endowment to fund competitive grants and scholarships across a defined metro region. Directly comparable operating model, donor services, and community-foundation compliance posture.
• Kenosha Community Foundation: Neighboring Wisconsin county-level community foundation with the same grantmaking/scholarship/endowment structure. Highly comparable scale, customer base (501(c)(3) nonprofits in a single county), and competitive grant process.
• Oshkosh Community Foundation: Wisconsin-based community foundation managing an endowment to fund local nonprofits and scholarships. Comparable scale, compliance posture, and single-region geographic restriction.

Others

• Council on Foundations: National membership and standards body that sets the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations under which RCF operates. Not a competitor but a critical ecosystem partner and benchmarking organization for community-foundation compliance.

Broad incumbents

• The Columbus Foundation: Large Ohio community foundation with a substantially bigger endowment but the same operating model: competitive grants, scholarship funds, donor-advised funds, and National Standards compliance. Useful as an aspirational peer for scale.
• Dayton Foundation: Regional community foundation with a larger asset base providing grants, scholarships, and donor services in a defined Ohio market. Comparable governance, compliance, and philanthropic distribution model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RacineCommunityFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/racine-community-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Racine Community Foundation