Grants

30 Years of Giving
Octoberfest is a celebration of community spirit that focuses on family fun, is an event supported by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It showcases downtown Appleton and provides fundraising opportunities for non-political, non-profit organizations. Over the years Octoberfest has made grants to:

- American Indian Center of the Fox Valley
- Appleton Downtown Inc.  1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
- Appleton Education Foundation for the Appleton Compassion Project
- Appleton Parade Committee for the UW Marching Band
- Appleton Police Department for Crime Precention TraCS Software; SMART unit (radar board trailer; Portable WIFI Surveillance Camera
- Appleton Art Center
- Art on the Town
- Art in the Park
- Badger State Games  2009 & 2010
- Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Corning Glass Hot
Glass Roadshow
- Career Connection
- City of Appleton Park & Rec Department
- Fox Cities Book Festival  2008, 2009, 2010
- Fox Cities Performing Arts Center contribution during construction; Accessibility Service and Improvement Needs Project
- Future Neenah, Inc. - StreetFeast, 2010
- Gardens of the Fox Cities
- Grand Chute Kiwanis WestFest
- Harmony Café (a program of Goodwill NCW)  2005, 2006, 2007
- Juneteenth Celebration
- Kiwanis Car Show
- NCAA Division III Baseball Championship 2010 & 2011
- Old Glory Honor Flight, Inc.
- Pyrotechnics Guild International Fireworks  2006 & 2010
- Salvation Army 9/11 relief
- St. Joseph Food Program
- The Building for Kids Childrens Museum  1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010
- The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region Inc. Stock the Shelves Campaign
- The History Museum at the Castle Picturing Main Street: Picture Postcards of the Valley a Century Ago:The Photographs of W. D. Schlafer at the History Museum
- US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships, June 2011
- University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, Foundation for the Communication Arts Center
- WI State Harley Owners Group Rally
- We Care Meal Program


Effective August 1, 2010, the application process for applying for an Octoberfest grant will change. We will now review applications three times per year and a final report will be required. We also will only consider awarding grants for the same project for 3 consecutive years - with a year off before an organization can re-apply for the same project to be funded.

Deadline Dates:
December 15, 2011
March 15, 2012
June 15, 2012
Applications submitted after the deadline dates will be held for the next review period.

Based on the above deadline dates, grants will be awarded:
January 2012
April 2012
July 2012

Octoberfest was founded by downtown Appleton retailers and the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce in 1981 to promote their businesses, improve the community image and showcase the downtown area. The Octoberfest Board of directors continues this tradition by giving grants to projects throughout the Fox Cities.

The Octoberfest Board considers projects that embrace the spirit with which Octoberfest was founded. Certain criteria must be met to apply for a grant. Please download the form and return for consideration.

Important files for you to download and print:

2011-2012 Grant Application