Local Giving, Lasting Impact

As 2025 comes to a close, the Watertown Area Community Foundation board and staff wish to sincerely thank the donors, partners, and nonprofit organizations who have helped make our community stronger this year. Generosity in Watertown continues to grow, not just in dollars given but in our shared mission. As a community, we step up to meet challenges head-on, protecting the quality of life that makes our hometown exceptional now and for generations to come.

This May, the Foundation proudly celebrated 46 years as Watertown’s community endowment, an enduring resource built by local people, for local good. Today, the Foundation stewards more than 170 charitable funds, each created by individuals, families, or organizations with a story and purpose behind them. Thanks to this collective generosity, the Foundation’s assets have grown to $38 million, and $14 million has been granted to Watertown area nonprofit organizations since 1979.

It has been a year marked by meaningful milestones. The Foundation earned National Standards reaccreditation, one of the nation’s highest measures of philanthropic excellence. The Foundation’s Executive Director, Cammie Mengwasser, achieved the rigorous Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential, reflecting a commitment to ethical and effective stewardship. And, with community partners, we advanced H2O-2050, Watertown’s long-range visioning effort, helping create an intentional roadmap for the next 25 years.

Throughout 2025, the Foundation’s programs continued to empower donors and uplift nonprofits. Women & Giving awarded $46,090 to 14 organizations serving women and children. Notably, 11 women also received scholarships totaling nearly $30,000, the most awarded in the program’s 22-year history.

Giving Back 365 brought together donors, from grade schoolers to a centenarian, who voted just this month to award more than $46,000 to local nonprofit groups.

Since launching in 2017, the Area School Partnership Program has awarded $75,000 to expand opportunities for students and educators across our region. This year featured several standout projects, including an on-site weather station and a farm-to-lunchroom table initiative.

The Foundation’s Youth Council, made up of local high school juniors and seniors, awarded nearly $15,000 to eight youth-serving organizations this past spring. Through nonprofit visits and conversations with community leaders, these students are already practicing thoughtful, real-world philanthropy.

In all, the Foundation’s board of directors awarded grants totaling $1.4 million in 2025. Many are addressing long-term community needs, including a $20,000 grant to Community Transit of Watertown/Sisseton to help secure a much-needed new bus. Transit provides more than 80,000 rides across a 15-county region, supporting access to medical appointments, independence for older adults, and opportunity for those traveling to and from work and school.

The Foundation also invested in preserving Watertown’s history for future generations. In partnership with the Codington County Historical Society and the Watertown Regional Library, the Foundation supported the digitization of historic microfilm from area newspapers, ensuring our community’s story remains accessible for years to come.

Moreover, this year reminded us that philanthropy is deeply personal. Behind every fund is a story. When Becky Weber unexpectedly passed away in 2024, her family created the Rebecca “Becky” Weber Fund at the Foundation to honor her legacy. In her 32 years, Becky lived with purpose, passion, and an unwavering commitment to make Watertown a better place for all. In 2025, the fund awarded its first grant, $5,000 to Joy Ranch, to support a multi-purpose facility. Becky spent her summers volunteering at Camp Kesem, and today her spirit lives on in Watertown through Joy Ranch’s programs for children facing similar challenges.

This year, we also had the pleasure of witnessing the power of neighbors helping neighbors through Rachel’s Hope, a new nonprofit launched in 2024 that was quickly embraced by the Watertown community. Founded by Amanda Woodruff after identifying a gap in support services, Rachel’s Hope provides basic hygiene and cleaning supplies, offering dignity and compassion to households in crisis. In just its first 18 months, the organization has already served more than 1,500 Watertown families with over 40,000 essential items. With early support from community donors, a Women & Giving grant, and a win in the Foundation’s 2024 Christmas Tree Fundraiser, Rachel’s Hope demonstrates what is possible when a community comes together to respond to local needs.

As we look ahead, it’s important to recognize that nonprofits operate in an environment where funding and needs change from year to year. Continued community support helps ensure these organizations remain strong and able to respond when needs arise. Supporting organizations close to home keeps assistance timely and grounded in our community’s unique needs.

As this season of giving continues, we invite you to support the nonprofits that make Watertown strong through volunteering, advocacy, and charitable giving. Every gift, large or small, helps sustain essential services and builds the kind of community we want our children and grandchildren to inherit.

Thank you for believing in Watertown and for choosing to give back where it matters most, right here at home.