Investing in Three Lakes

The Three Lakes Community Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all residents in the Three Lakes area. Through strategic partnerships with our local charitable organizations, we support initiatives that address community needs, innovative ideas, and long-term resilience. The grants we have funded advance our mission of making Three Lakes THE place to Live, Work, and Play. Through the generosity of our donors, we provide grants to empower local organizations, amplify community voices, and drive meaningful, lasting change.

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2025 Grant Recipients

American Legion – Photo Contest Grant $100
Aqua Devils Water Ski Club – AED Grant and PTG* – $3,019.85
Demmer Library – Reading Incentive Program and PTG* – $2,320
Downtown Three Lakes, Inc. – Summer Solstice Grant & PTG* – 753.33
Faith Lutheran Church – Backpack Program mini-grant – $300
Feed Our Rural Kids – mini-grant – $300
Northern Lights Snowmobile Club – PTG* – $500
Oneida County 4-H – LEGO FIRST Team Creation Grant – $2,665.00
Three Eagle Trail – mini-grant – $300
Storybook Gardens – Pioneer Days Grant – $300
TL Police Department – Lost Pet Chip Reader mini-grant – $300
TL Elementary School PTO – Gaga Pit Mat Grant – $1,000
TL Center for the Arts – PTG* – $1,800
TL Christian Food Pantry – mini-grant and Photo Contest Grant – $550

TL Dog Park – PTG* – $100
TL Evangelical Free Church Fun Club – Photo Contest Grant – $400
TL Fire Department – Lee Tauer Benefit mini-grant – $300
TL Forensics Team – Photo Contest Grant – $200
TL High School – After School Book Club Grant – $250
TL High School Student Council – Photo Contest Grant – $100.00
TL Parks Commission – Dugout Replacement Project Grant – $1,000
TL Pickleball/Parks Commission – Photo Contest Grant and PTG – $600
TL Veteran’s Memorial – PTG* – $3,275.00
TL Visitor’s Bureau – Hotel Feasibility Study – $4,765.94
TL Waterfront Association – Milfoil mini-grant and PTG* – $1,300
TL Women’s Club – Ice Cream Social Grant – $400

*PTG = Pass Through Grant honoring donor intent and wishes

EXAMPLES OF GRANT PROJECTS

Burnside Park Court Resurfacing Project 2021 - Three Lakes Parks Commission

In 2019, the Three Lakes Pickleball Club contacted the Town of Three Lakes, informing them that the original eight courts at Don Burnside Park required renovation to maintain safety standards. In cooperation with the club and the town, the Three Lakes Community Foundation provided a $3,000 grant to assist with the project’s costs.

Raise the Roof Project 2019 and Projector Repair 2022 - Three Lakes Center for the Arts

The Three Lakes Center for the Arts was one of 93 military-style Quonset Hut theaters built after World War II. When the 1949 building began leaking, the organization applied for and received a grant from the Three Lakes Community Foundation to assist with replacing the roof. Today, the theater is one of only six Quonset Hut theaters still in operation, and the only one to have been restored after a 20-year hiatus.

Apple Trees for School Orchard 2023 - Three Lakes School District Food Service

Thanks to the generosity of the Three Lakes Lions Club and a grant from the Three Lakes Community Foundation, the Three Lakes School District has a 14-tree orchard on the school grounds.  Grants monies not only purchased trees but also fencing to protect the apple trees from deer that roam nearby.  Students planted the trees and will be involved with harvesting them each fall.

Johnson House Restoration 2024 - Three Lakes Historical Society

In collaboration with its members, donors, the Town of Three Lakes, and the Three Lakes Community Foundation, the Three Lakes Historical Society has nearly completed Phase I of its $40,000 Johnson House restoration project. Central to the project was the repair of foundational structural beams.  Exterior work for this phase included siding, windows, and stairs.

 

Pioneer Days 2025 - Storybook Gardens

Using a $300 grant, Storybook Gardens, in collaboration with the Demmer Library, Three Lakes Historical Society and the Three Lakes Community Foundation, initiated Pioneer Days, a new, family-friendly event meant to expose attendees to pioneer life. Over 250 participants of all ages spent an afternoon learning about such tasks spinning wool, blacksmithing, trapping, turning cream into butter, and using a washboard for cleaning laundry. Volunteers from throughout the community manned stations on logging, teaching, playing games, and preparing food. The group has plans to expand the event in 2026.

Thanks to your support, we will be able to provide middle school-aged youth with hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math. Elementary and middle school-aged youth in Oneida County simply aren’t getting access to these types of positive youth development opportunities that students in more populated areas are receiving, so your donation is expanding access in this way.
Anne Williams : 4-H Educator, Oneida County
We serve between 30-35 families who live in Three Lakes. With your help to our community, we’re able to give our recipients the help they need each month. We truly appreciate your support of our pantry.
Doe Muench : Co-Director, Three Lakes Christian Food Pantry
We want to thank you very much for accepting our grant request. We are so blessed to have an organization such as yourself, who care about the people in our community. With your help, Storybook Gardens continues to grow and provide fun ways for families to spend time together in town.
Marilynn Garbowicz and Beth Jacobson : Storybook Gardens Coordinators