YOU GOTTA HAVE ART. The Eau Claire Children’s Theatre is one of many local organizations that may benefit from a new crowdfunding platform.

A new local crowdfunding platform has been launched to help Eau Claire area nonprofits raise much-needed funds online.

Beginning Tuesday, July 6, the Eau Claire Community Foundation has unveiled the first of four online Grant Catalogs. According to the foundation, “This crowdfunding software allows the public to donate directly to funding requests from Eau Claire area nonprofits. Not only will applicants receive the money they raise in the form of grants, but all that raise at least $1,000 will become eligible for bonus grants from ECCF that range from $1,000 to $10,000!”

In the lead-up to its 25th anniversary celebration next year, the community foundation plans to host four Grant Catalogs, each with a different theme. The first, “Create Culture,” will run July 6-28. The others will be “Form Futures” (Oct. 4-27); “Give Green” (Feb. 7-March 2, 2022); and “Offer Opportunities” (April 11-May 4, 2022).

As you might guess from its name, the Create Culture category is centered on cultural entities, supporting “music, visual and performing arts, literature, and museums.” The online Grant Catalog includes funding requests from the following nonprofits:

• Chippewa Valley Museum
• Chippewa Valley Music Teachers Association
• Chippewa Valley Post
• Chippewa Valley Railroad Foundation
• Chippewa Valley Symphony
• Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild
• Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association
• Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra
• Eau Claire Children’s Theatre
• Eau Claire Jazz, Inc.
• Eau Claire Municipal Band
• Friends of Beaver Creek Reserve
• L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
• Sculpture Tour Eau Claire
• Stand in the Light Memory Choir
• The Master Singers
• Wisconsin Logging Museum

Collectively, the Eau Claire Community Foundation plans to distribute $100,000 in bonus grants over the coming year, Executive Director Sue Bornick said in a press release. “When the Grant Catalog goes live in July, donors will use it to support the charities they love,” she said. “It’s our opportunity to thank our nonprofits for all they do for our community!”

The Eau Claire Community Foundation was formed in 1997 to help provide financial planning for local charitable organizations as well as the entities that received their aid. Today, the foundation holds 266 active funds worth more than $37 million. Over the years, it has made $18 million in grants.

Learn more about the organization, how it works, and the agencies and causes it supports at www.eccfwi.org.