SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America, the Farm Credit cooperative’s giving program, has awarded 34 General Use Grants, totaling $199,179. General Use Grants fund initiatives and organizations whose work enriches agriculture and rural America, aligning with Compeer Financial’s mission.

These grants will directly impact the lives of 718,000 people and will touch 5.4 million lives. 24% of grants will support projects with a direct farmer impact; 26% will support agriculture education initiatives; and 32% address food insecurity.

Since the program was established in 2018, the Fund has awarded 301 General Use Grants, totaling over $1.6 million. The Fund will offer this grant again in May 2022 to provide funding for summer 2022.

“The General Use Grant program impacts the communities where Compeer clients and team members live and work,” said Karen Schieler, senior corporate giving specialist at Compeer Financial. “The grants embody our commitment to enriching agriculture and rural America, and to the farmers and communities we serve.”

The 34 organizations receiving support from the General Use Grant Program throughout Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, include:

Illinois

• After the Peanut Foundation: Lil Ag’ University
• C.W. Avery Family YMCA: garden supplies for summer camp
• Cornerstone Community Wellness, Inc.: general support to provide low cost services
• Farm Foundation: Young Farmer Accelerator Program 
• FHN Foundation: new EKG machines
• Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership of Illinois: educating students about food insecurity in rural America and a volunteer food packing experience
• Jamieson Community Center: purchasing nutritious staple foods to provide a pantry box with a week’s worth of food
• Livingston County Extension Council/Pontiac Townships High School FFA: Meals of Hope food packaging events
• McHenry-Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District: Producer Outreach Meeting
• Northern Illinois Food Bank: purchasing a walkie-rider pallet mover to safely and effectively handle products
• River Bend Food Bank: cooler and freezer for Galesburg branch expansion
• Streatorland Community Food Pantry: purchasing a new v-nose trailer with large weight capacity allowing the pantry to transport more food

Minnesota

• Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota: installing an irrigation system to address watering needs and efficiently care for crop, garden and green spaces on the Museum’s outdoor campus
• Clean River Partners: Bridgewater Streams Cover Crop Expansion Project
• Farmamerica – Minnesota Ag Interpretive Center: agriculture education field trips for elementary schools
• Farm-City Hub Club: farm safety presentations
• Feeding Our Communities Partners: food purchases for youth hunger-relief programs
• Generations Inc.: converting prep kitchen to a commercial kitchen
• Junior Achievement North: Junior Achievement programs in rural schools
• Main Street Project: Sharing Our Roots: multilingual technical assistance resources for beginning and aspiring farmers
• North Star Farm Tour: e-commerce portal for farmers’ products and events
• Urban Roots: youth education and training in farming and urban agricultural practices
• Youth Farm: youth leadership programming

Wisconsin

• Catholic Charities, Inc., Diocese of Madison: supplementing the quantity and quality of foods available
• Dairy Girl Network: DGN Academy
• Diamond Vu Agricultural Education Center: delivering educational sessions to rural school districts
• Ethel Everhard Memorial Library: creating a space that invites patrons to learn and allows children and young adults to take an active role in their literacy
• Farmers for Sustainable Food: media training workshops for farmer-led conservation spokespeople
• Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin: baler and strapping machine for volunteer department
• Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project: developing a local food and farms information network
• GROW La Crosse: introducing students to hands-on learning opportunities in both urban and traditional growing practices
• Indianhead Community Action Agency, Inc.: technical assistance for small business development support
• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin: Junior Achievement programs in rural schools
• YMCA of the North – Camp St. Croix: Camp St. Croix Farm & Garden Program

About the Fund for Rural America

The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America is the corporate giving program of Compeer Financial, structured to support Compeer Financial’s mission to enrich agriculture and rural America. Compeer Financial’s Board of Directors has dedicated one percent of annual net earnings to support the Fund’s focus areas of agricultural advocacy and development, agriculture education, cooperative initiatives, rural development and community enrichment; and youth engagement. The Fund is managed by a Board of Trustees, made up of team members from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin and members of the Compeer Financial Board of Directors. More information about opportunities available through the Fund can be found at Compeer.com/giving-back.

About Compeer Financial

Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities. The $25.4 billion organization provides loans, leases, risk management and other financial services throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in the Upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America, while providing personalized service and expertise to clients and the agriculture industry.

Compeer Financial is the third largest cooperative of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of lending institutions supporting agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Learn more about Compeer Financial.

— Compeer Financial