Our Beginning and Mission
How & Why the Iowa-Grant Educational Foundation Began
The Iowa-Grant School District was formed in 1958. Since that time hundreds of students have graduated, many residents have proudly raised successful children here and others with ties to the area simply have a passion for supporting education. Folks like to give back to their communities, especially if there is an established, professional way to do it.
In the 1990’s, J. Bruce Bradley, Superintendent at the time, was encouraged to establish a way for donors to give gifts of money and property to the district. One such donor couple was Tom and Mary Jane Limmex who had recently gifted property to the district that was eventually turned into an amazing endowment which continues to grant a very generous scholarship annually. This was the impetus to get a foundation officially started.
So in 1999, Mr. Bradley formed a steering committee which included Lois Alton, Peggy Biddick, Bob Bishop, Dr. Richard Bristol, Dr.Dennis Carr, Robert Day, Tammie Engelke, Glenda Faull, Francis Fry, Ron Haas, David Kalish, Dr. Robert Klindt, Ellen Lindner, Tom Moffett, Jim Neuendorf, and Kelly Ritchie. Formal by-laws were drawn up, officers were elected, donations started coming and the fundraising began.
It was voted in May 2000 to affiliate with the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin (CFSW) rather than incorporate as a stand alone non-profit organization in the state of Wisconsin. Adoption of by-laws occurred in June 2000 along with the first official election of officers.
A brochure was developed and mailed to all residents within the I-G district in December 2000 and distributed to agencies and appropriate businesses in Grant and Iowa counties.
In 2001, the first scholarships were proudly given out to 5 students for $500 each.
Our Mission
Mission statement and goals were adopted December 6,
1999. "The IGEF will provide a vehicle through which caring and concerned
individuals, businesses, and civic, community and fraternal organizations may
contribute gifts of time, money, property and expertise to support these
activities:
---- Scholarships----To provide scholarships for graduating high school seniors and work to ensure that Iowa-Grant graduates receive encouragement and have opportunity to pursue post-secondary education.
---- Educational Enrichment---- with "Excellence in Education" grants o support innovative and creative projects that inspire both Iowa-Grant students and teachers in the pursuit of educational excellence within the Iowa-Grant School District.
---- Family Enrichment----To provide ways to strengthen and support families, so that education becomes an attainable shared endeavor."
How the Funding Began
2001 - The family of Millard "Mick"
Gundlach, former agriculture teacher at I-G and Southwest Technical College,
Fennimore, established an endowment of $10,000 in his name to be used for
agriculture scholarships. (Spring 2001)
A silent auction was held at the local banks over a 2-month period in the
summer of 2001 and raised $655 because of the donation by Dr. Richard Bristol of
his hand crafted wooden items.
The Elmer Biddick Foundation gave $4000 in June of 2001 to be used to serve any
of the 3 goals established by IGEF.
Memorial scholarships for Connie
Munson (2001) and Mae Austin (2002) were lovingly established by their
families.
The Martha Klindt memorial was lovingly established to satisfy the needs of any
of the 3 goals.
Where we are Now
To date (May 2025) 247 scholarships valued at $270,420 have been awarded to Panther graduates in support of their post-secondary education and 62 grants totaling over $40,825 have been awarded to student and classroom projects. Eight families have established endowed scholarships while eight others continue to give memorial scholarships annually. There are also three Excellence in Education (EIE) endowed funds for classroom projects.
Now many Iowa-Grant supporters have an avenue to give back for the educational gifts and opportunities they themselves received here. This is an exciting opportunity, helping to fortify Excellence in Education now and for generations to come. Please join us as we continue to strengthen this Foundation.
