What We Fund

Funding Priorities

The J. J. Keller Foundation provides funding to positively impact lives in the greater Fox Valley, from Oshkosh to Green Bay, Wisconsin with the intent of addressing the needs of the most vulnerable people in our community. Typically, our work supports nonprofit organizations and programs addressing basic needs and mental health. We encourage collaboration and innovation as a means to address complex social issues such as poverty.

Challenge Grants

Challenge grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations to stretch their fundraising impact. The J. J. Keller Foundation matches donations from new donors or increased giving from existing donors; collectively building the nonprofit organization’s donor base and strengthening their financial sustainability.

Matching Gifts Program

The Keller family recognizes the value of individual support for nonprofit organizations. Through the Matching Gifts Program, associates of J. J. Keller & Associates can have their gifts to nonprofit organizations matched with foundation funds. The program runs from January 1st – November 30th each year. Monetary donations made by an associate to any eligible 501(c)(3) public charitable organization will be matched dollar for dollar up to the designated maximum per associate. Organizations can only apply to the matching gifts program with the paperwork included with an associate’s gift.

Stories of Impact

Riverview Gardens’ ServiceWorks job-training model is a no fail program that trains four principles of transferable work skills to help people obtain stable, permanent employment. Dan, a ServiceWorks participant, experienced a journey from substance abuse and incarceration to sobriety, skill development and stable employment which allowed him to be reunited with his family. “Thank you for taking on a chance on me, for showing kindness and love when I thought I was going to be another statistic. The Foundation gave me the best gift – hope.”

Riverview Gardens

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Lisa Strandberg, Development Director of Samaritan Counseling Center shares, “All told, your $10,000 Challenge Grant inspired more than $30,000 in new or increased gifts to Samaritan! Here’s how: First, your challenge grant really motivated Samaritan’s board of directors to engage in meaningful fundraising. Seven of our 12 board members grew their own annual giving by $250 or more in response to the campaign, and three engaged for the first time in person-to-person fundraising. Those three board members alone inspired $9,186 in gifts, $5,000 of which were match-eligible! Your challenge grant also prompted other donors to give challenge gifts. When we exceeded the $10,000 limit of your grant, two board members pooled their resources to create an additional $11,700 match.”

Samaritan Counseling Center

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Callie received mental health services from Catalpa Health. In Callie’s Story she shares, “Where I would be without Catalpa Health is a place that I don’t really like to imagine. I was at a point in my mental health journey where I didn’t even know if I could get help. Catalpa Health became a safe haven where I knew I’d always have people in my corner to make sure I had the support I needed.”

Catalpa Health

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Research & Data To Guide Our Work

  • Fox Cities and Brown County LIFE Study: Leading Indicators for Excellence is a study to gather local data to reflect quality of life indicators. The study is done in the Fox Cities and Green Bay.
  • Status of Women in NE Wisconsin: A regional study on the economic and quality of life for Women living in Northeast Wisconsin.
  • Project RUSH Study: Research to Understand and Solve Homelessness in the Fox Cities.
  • ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed study of Wisconsin Counties.
  • Design Thinking: A process to learn about the audience for whom you are designing, and then construct creative, quality solutions based on user needs and insights.
  • Social Innovation: The process of developing and deploying effective solutions to complex social issues.