(Press Release from West Central Initiative)
Fergus Falls, — West Central Initiative is excited to announce the Frolic Nature School Fund, a new component fund to support nature-based education initiatives in the Fergus Falls community.
The fund will provide resources for infrastructure, supplies, programming, facilitator education, administration, and partial scholarships for families in need.The Frolic Nature School Fund will help foster a deeper connection to oneself and nature through child-led and place-based education.
With a focus on instilling a love for learning and curiosity, the school will begin as a pre-K program with plans to expand into a small elementary cohort and eventually offer infant care.
As a community foundation, West Central Initiative establishes and manages funds for specific charitable purposes.
These funds, known as “component or affiliate funds,” are integral to West Central Initiative’s work to create a more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable region.
“Through these funds, we harness the power of collective giving to build a better quality of life for years to come,” said West Central Initiative Community Philanthropy Officer Samantha VanWechel-Meyer. “By investing in initiatives that promote quality education, like the Frolic Nature School Fund, we pave the way for future prosperity.”Component funds function in two ways: making grants for charitable activities within the fund’s specific purpose and providing rural economic development loans through a revolving loan fund.
These funds generate interest, which can be distributed as grants or reinvested in the fund. The activities of the Frolic Nature School Fund will be overseen by an advisory committee of community members who will ensure the effective allocation of resources and the realization of the fund’s objectives. For more information about the Frolic Nature School Fund or to contribute, you can click here.
Donations can be mailed to West Central Initiative, P.O. Box 318, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0318.
Include the fund name in the memo line.
About West Central Initiative
West Central Initiative (WCI) is a regional community foundation and an economic development organization serving the nine west central Minnesota counties of Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin and a portion of White Earth Nation.
Through philanthropy and planning, WCI fuels insight and action for the benefit of our region and our world.
Since 1986, WCI has provided more than $58 million in loans and $75 million in grants to businesses and organizations.
Learn more at wcif.org.