Anonymous donation boosts Women’s Fund drive to grow endowment

It’s not what it was expecting, but the Women’s Fund of Greater La Crosse will take it.

The group just announced a $100,000 anonymous matching donation to help the fund to its new goal of growing its endowment by $200,000.

Executive director of the fund, Kaycie Green, calls the donation, a blessing.

“To have an anonymous donor be willing to match dollar for dollar donations to the endowment up to 100,000 is really remarkable and we are so thankful to them,” Green said.

The matching donation puts the fund halfway towards its endowment goal.

“By having a strong healthy endowment, we are able to provide a lasting grant impact in this community,” Green said. “For years to come, our endowment will generate money for grants to be used in the La Crosse area.”

The Women’s Fund is in its 20th year and distributed $72,000 in grants to 19 organizations providing 20 different services to women and girls in the region. The grants went to organizations like the Salvation Army for rental assistance and WAFER for hygiene products.

That $72,000 is a big jump from its first year in 1999, says Green, when the fund distributed just $2,000 in grants.

In the last 20 years, the fund has provided grants of $565,000 to help with everything from higher education tuition to car repairs.