Inspiring People to Give Back to Sustain and Advance the Community We Love | | |
Door Community Foundation
April 2026
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Greetings!
The Door County Community Foundation recently hosted “Preview Door County” in Southwest Florida. It’s our annual event where seasonal residents who love our peninsula gather in Bonita Springs to celebrate all they are looking forward to when they return home to Door County in the months ahead. Some folks drive from hours away just to spend an evening learning a bit about the performances and activities that await them upon their return. Yet more than anything else, as our beloved friend the late Dick Egan used to say, he loved Preview Door County because by the end of a winter in Florida, he just needed to surround himself again with "real Door County people."
At this year’s gathering in Florida, I commented on something that’s been on my mind for quite some time. For seasonal residents, Door County has a way of feeling effortless upon their return.
As they arrive in Door County, our stages will already be alive with performances. Our galleries and historical sites will host new exhibitions. Our trails will be clear, our parks open, and our festivals will fill the calendar as we send the winter witch on her way. To someone who returns to our peninsula in spring, it can feel like a switch was flipped and Door County simply turned itself on.
Learn more by reading "Embraced by Two Kinds of Love"
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Bret Bicoy
President & CEO
Door County Community Foundation
| | Meet our New Director of Communications | |
We are excited to introduce the Community Foundation's first Director of Communications, Kim Schumacher. In her new role, Kim will share our stories of community generosity and impact while raising awareness of our mission and philanthropic leadership. "Communicating the impact we are making throughout Door County and showing how we connect donor generosity with the community's important needs are my top priorities," said Schumacher.
Kim has built her career leading communications across mission-driven and private-sector organizations, with expertise in writing, graphic design, and brand identity. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she also studied literature, art history, and Italian, disciplines that continue to inform her creative sensibility and fuel her passion for travel and storytelling.
A native of De Pere, Wisconsin, Kim relocated to Door County from South Florida in January 2020 to reconnect with family, friends, and the region’s natural beauty. Outside the office, she hikes the state parks and land trusts with her beagle mix, enjoys cooking and dining with friends, and champions the county’s extraordinary visual, musical, and culinary artists.
Kim brings a strategic communications perspective and a genuine commitment to the region, and looks forward to connecting more people to the Community Foundation's transformative work.
| | Nonprofit Training Rescheduled for May 14 | | |
The free grant writing and funder research training session at Björklunden in Baileys Harbor has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Led by experienced grants professionals from Lawrence University, the training will also include a Q&A with local funders. Nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers are invited to attend this informative session that will cover the full grant lifecycle—from identifying funding opportunities to writing strong proposals and reporting—along with tips for researching and aligning with funders.
This training is offered free of charge, thanks to a partnership between the Door Community Nonprofit Group, Door County Community Foundation, Raibrook Foundation, and United Way of Door County.
Visit our website to learn more and register. Spots are limited, so secure your seat today.
| | Bargains Unlimited Charitable Fund Awards Inaugural Grants | |
Since 1995, Bargains Unlimited resale store has been using its proceeds to support the citizens of Northern Door County. Now, that legacy of giving is amplified through the Bargains Unlimited Charitable Fund.
Established in late 2025 by The Senior Citizens Agency of Northern Door (SCAND) and administered by Door County Community Foundation, the Bargains Unlimited Charitable Fund awarded six grants to Door County charities for a total of $106,000 during the program’s inaugural grant cycle in February 2026. The recipients include:
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Cycling Without Age Door County toward the purchase of an electric-assist
tandem bicycle
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Door County Medical Center to support Northern Door memory care programs
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Door County YMCA to enhance the Jackie and Steve Kane Center social lounge
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Sunshine Resources to expand the Sunflower Cottage program into Northern Door
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Unity Hospice to support personalized, supportive care management services
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Washington Island Community Health Program to provide educational presentations and lunches
“The committee felt that these projects truly aligned with our mission,” said Susan Hoffert, President of the SCAND Board of Directors. “These are projects that make a broad impact, helping provide much needed services for working people and seniors in Door County.”
Grant applications are accepted through the Door County Community Foundation’s regular winter and summer grant cycles, with application deadlines on the fourth Mondays of December and June, respectively. The next application deadline is Monday, June 22, 2026. Grant awards are expected to average $25,000, with requests of up to $100,000 considered for exceptional projects that align with the program’s goals. For more information about the Bargains Unlimited Charitable Fund grant program or to apply, click here, call Door County Community Foundation at (920) 746-1786, or email grants@givedoorcounty.org.
| | Upcoming Grant Application Deadlines | | Endowments in Action: NEW Audubon Society Endowment Fund | | |
The Northeastern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon Society) was incorporated in 1954 and is one of more than 500 local chapters of the National Audubon Society. Their membership service area covers seven counties and 55 communities throughout Northeast Wisconsin, including all of Door County. NEW Bird Alliance applies the mission of the National Audubon Society at the local level in northeastern Wisconsin, which is to "protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation." Active projects include the Oneida Bird Monitoring Project, Project SOAR (Snowy Owl Airport Rescue), and Tracking the Phantoms: A red-shouldered hawk research study utilizing radio telemetry to understand the birds' movements and migration.
If you would like to incorporate a gift to this endowment in your estate plans, contact us and we'd be glad to help facilitate your generosity.
| | Helpful Publications to Guide Your Charitible Giving | | |
The Community Foundation produces several publications and information sheets to help you craft a strategy to give back in the most effective–and tax efficient–way possible. There are also wonderful ideas of where you might choose to give.
Download them from the Community Foundation's website.
Our Guide to Charitable Funds highlights different charities so families have options to consider when giving back, either today or through their estate plans. You can download an introductory brochure that explains the most popular charitable funds at the Community Foundation along with information sheets for Donor Advised Funds, Discretionary Funds, Scholarship Funds, and more.
Download any of these documents or contact us and we'd be happy to send them to you. If you're an attorney, accountant, investment adviser, or trust officer, we'll send a supply of guides, introductory brochures, or other materials and display holders for use in your office. Just contact us at the Community Foundation.
These are some of the many ways the Community Foundation encourages people to give back to sustain and advance the community we love!
| | Community Foundation Board of Directors | | | | |
