Alliant Energy Foundation Backs Campus Initiatives

Alliant Energy Foundation presents a check to UW Foundation

Julie Bauer, president of the Alliant Energy Foundation, presents a check to UW Foundation President and CEO Michael Knetter.

The life-improving Odyssey Project, the University of Wisconsin Center for Nonprofits and the Wisconsin Union Theater are the beneficiaries of grants from the Alliant Energy Foundation to support programs at the UW-Madison.

Julie Bauer, executive director of the Alliant Energy Foundation, recently presented UW Foundation President and CEO Michael Knetter with a check acknowledging this support.

These latest grants bring the total of the Alliant Energy Foundation’s direct support of UW-Madison programs to more than $370,000. In addition, the foundation has provided more than $390,000 in matching funds and pledges to double gifts from employees in support of UW-Madison.

With its most recent grants, the Alliant Energy Foundation will contribute to:

  • The Odyssey Project. Now in its ninth year, the Odyssey Project has enabled more than 250 low-income Madison-area adults, mostly from minority backgrounds, to get a start on earning college degrees they never thought possible. Students receive free tuition, books, childcare support, dinner and materials as they earn six UW-Madison credits in English. They also receive tutoring in reading, writing and critical thinking and practical help in learning how to apply for college admission and financial aid.
  • The UW Center for Nonprofits. Based in the School of Human Ecology, the Center for Nonprofits has become a key resource for nonprofit organizations, more than 33,000 of which are in Wisconsin. The Alliant Energy Foundation’s grant supports “Communiversity Dialogs,” which bring leaders in the nonprofit world to campus to discuss key issues, and a seminar, “Fundraising and Development Strategies for Nonprofit Executives.”
  • The Wisconsin Union Theater. The foundation’s grant will support the theater’s “Curtain Down” celebration, a free public event scheduled for May 12. The event will provide patrons and theater enthusiasts of all generations the opportunity to remember, share and celebrate the Wisconsin Union Theater’s illustrious history before it “goes dark” for two years of construction as part of the Memorial Union’s renovation and reconstruction project.

In addition to these projects, the Alliant Energy Foundation has provided support to a host of programs and initiatives on campus, including scholarships for minority students in the College of Engineering, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, the Child Life Program, Earth Partnerships for Schools, Lily’s Fund for Epilepsy Research, American Family Children’s Hospital and more.

Since its start in 1998, the Alliant Energy Foundation has contributed more than $37 million to projects and organizations through a variety of programs and initiatives. The Alliant Energy Foundation was formed to help improve the quality of life in the communities where Alliant Energy has a presence.