ONE FOR THE BOOKS. The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library’s recent rennovation project was funded in part by a Pablo Foundation grant.

The Pablo Foundation has opened up its 2023 first-quarter grant cycle and is looking to partner with local nonprofits. The Eau Claire-based Pablo Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Pablo Group, which owns and oversees several local businesses, including hotels, restaurants, and residential and commercial buildings.

The foundation seeks to benefit the community in four areas: housing, health, education, and the arts. Zach Halmstad, Julia Johnson, and Jason Wudi founded the Pablo Foundation in 2017, hoping to support Eau Claire in its pursuit towards diversity, revitalization, and sustainability. “Our main goal is to create (a) transformative and long-lasting impact, to ensure that the greater Eau Claire area remains vibrant, robust, and a great place for everyone who calls it home,” said MaiVue Xiong, executive director of The Pablo Foundation.

The Pablo Foundation seeks grant applicants on a quarterly basis. In order for a nonprofit organization to be eligible for their grants, the Pablo Foundation looks to see if they’ve met several factors, including alignment with the foundation’s mission and/or diversity and inclusion initiatives, demonstration of the need for funding and an explanation on how it would impact locals, and the significance of the impact that the grant money will have. (The full list of guidelines can online at pablofoundation.org/grant-process.) Applications for first-quarter grants are due by Monday, Dec. 5, at 11:59pm via their Grant Portal at webportalapp.com/sp/login/pablo_foundation.