Regional Giving

A vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable world starts here in west central Minnesota. And donors like you help to make it possible.  

When Minnesota faced a farming crisis that threatened to break the economic backbone of our region, we went to work—empowering our neighbors to overcome barriers to meaningful work and to well-being. Thirty-five years later, strengthening our region through philanthropy and planning remains our reason for being. With your help, we can make sure our neighbors across the region enjoy great quality of life, meaningful work, and access to essential services. 

What We Do

We fuel insight and action for the benefit of our region and our world for generations to come. When you donate to West Central Initiative, you make all of this—and more—possible: 

  • Gap financing for businesses.
  • Early Childhood Initiatives.
  • Regional planning. 
  • Special projects support.
  • Small Business Enterprise Loans. 
  • Safe Routes to School plans. 
  • Technical assistance for communities and organizations. 
  • Resident and workforce recruitment. 

Ways to Give

  • One-time and Monthly Gifts

    You love your west central Minnesota region and community. You’re passionate about local causes. Contributing to the West Central Initiative Endowment Fund, Annual Operating Fund, or one of the more than 80 community funds in our region is a way you can express your values. Make a one-time gift or set up a recurring gift today.

  • Planned Giving

    Are you ready to plan your will or trust? We’d like to give you a free Estate Planning Guide. This helpful information will enable you to successfully plan your estate and avoid an accidental disinheritance. Plan to use our Estate Planning Guide to record your family information and your estate distribution plans. Request a free Estate Planning Guide.

     

  • Donor Advised Funds

    Donor Advised Funds provide a simple and highly personal approach to giving. We offer a variety of giving tools to help you achieve your charitable goals. You can make a gift of cash, stocks, bonds, real estate or other assets to West Central Initiative or your local community fund. Charitable gifts qualify for maximum tax advantage under federal law. Download our Donor Advised Fund Fact Sheet.

  • Community Giving

    Donate to a fund in your community. Local advisory committees manage our community funds. By partnering with us, the advisory committee can focus on the charitable need and leave the administrative tasks to us. This partnership ensures that local needs are met and all financial transactions meet state and federal guidelines.

  • Heartland Giving Farmland Stewardship Program

    We recognize how important locally owned, tillable farmland is to the long-term financial stability of our rural communities. That’s why we launched the Heartland Giving farmland stewardship program.

    Landowners are deeply and personally connected to their farmland. It’s not just an asset, it’s an important part of their way of life. For those who share this belief and have charitable intentions, Heartland Giving offers the opportunity to keep the asset in production and under local ownership. It also allows the donor to leave a legacy to benefit local charities that make the community stronger and a better place to live. The landowner can receive a tax deduction for the charitable portion of the gift, bypass capital gains tax, and reduce potential estate tax liability. We’ll continue to pay property taxes on the land so the county maintains its tax base. We also make every effort to rent the land to producers from the area.

    Once the gift of land has been made, West Central Initiative retains ownership and manages the asset. We’ll use the revenue earned from rental payments to benefit charitable organizations as agreed by the donor and our organization. Several planned giving options are available to donors to best meet their needs and charitable goals.

Recent Generosity & Impact News

Connect with Us

Rebecca Lynn Petersen
Rebecca Lynn Petersen
Director of Development
rebecca@wcif.org
218-998-1612 | 800-735-2239
Samantha VanWechel-Meyer
Samantha VanWechel-Meyer
Community Philanthropy Officer
samantha@wcif.org
218-739-2239 | 800-735-2239
Heather Weber
Development Specialist
heather@wcif.org
218-739-2239 | 800-735-2239

West Central Initiative is a qualified 501(c)(3) organization. Gifts are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. View legal and tax information.