The West Foundation in Manitowoc is asking local nonprofits what they would do with an extra $50,000.
The Board Directors for the foundation announced this week their latest grant opportunity, the Directors’ Choice Imagining Grant.
We spoke with John Jagemann, who has been on the Board for many years, and he said he came up with the idea for the grant after seeing the struggles non-profits go through on a regular basis.
“My feeling is that when you are always trying to put out fires, and you always have limited funds, that’s what you do. That’s what you have to do,” he said. “But there is no time left to dream.”
Jagemann is encouraging applicants to “Think outside of the box. Something that will help you do your job better. Perhaps serve another part of the population or something like that.”
Jagemann also told us a story about how this idea came to his mind.
He explained that he used to be a principal at a school, and he offered teachers $100 if they could do something to their classroom so when students walked in it looked different.
He revealed that “No one came and got the $100.”
John said “that stuck in my mind to this very day, and that is the genesis of this program.”
Applications and additional information on the Imagining Grant can be found online at WestFoundation.us.
