$2,500 - $5,000 awards for folks strengthening connections in communities across Northeast Wisconsin

Some people weave us together. They are the folks people know and trust, those we count on to get neighbors together when we need to tackle a shared problem or get something done. They show up for others and connect us. They are weavers.

You probably are one of them or know a weaver. Let’s recognize and help them get $2,500 - $5,000 and other resources to continue doing their important work.

What is weaving?

Weaving is the practice of building meaningful relationships that set the conditions for social trust to grow in communities.

It begins with a simple commitment: to see one another as equal in dignity, even when experiences and viewpoints differ.

Weaving invites people to:

• Discover what they have in common
• Learn how their differences can make the community stronger
• Work side by side toward common good.

Weaving can be formal or informal, and it is characterized by four qualities:

• Local: It brings together people who share the same neighborhood, town, or region
• Mutual: It celebrates everyone’s contributions and creates opportunities for everyone to both give and receive
• Welcoming: It invites people to join as they are
• Continuous: It builds relationships that deepen over time through ongoing engagement

What are the Weaver Awards?

NeighborWorks Green Bay, The Canary Fund, and the Basic Needs Giving Partnership are working together in partnership with the Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project to celebrate and support 20+ individuals and groups in Northeast Wisconsin — everyday neighbors who are building relationships, strengthening belonging, and weaving trust into the social fabric of their local communities.

Does this sound like you or someone you know? Nominate or apply now!

Weaver Awards are easy to apply for, require only simple reporting, and can go to either individuals or small organizations (annual budget <$250,000).

Why are we launching the Weaver Awards in Northeast Wisconsin?

Feelings of connection, trust, and belonging are important for individual health and sense of well-being, and they are essential to the vitality of our local communities. We thrive together.

The Weaver Awards are an opportunity to shine a spotlight and support people and groups actively working across Northeast Wisconsin to bring people together.

We are launching The Weaver Awards because we want everyone to understand that they have a role to play in weaving stronger communities, whether they want to join something already happening in their community or start something new. Weaver Awardees are models for us all!

What will you get if you become a Weaver Awardee?

Each Weaver Awardee will receive a financial award of $2,500 - $5,000 to recognize and support their contributions to their community. In addition, Awardees will receive the following benefits:

• Local and national recognition
• Communications and marketing support
• Learning resources and tools
• Regional and national awardee cohort networks and connection

Who selects the Weaver Awardees?

An Awards Team comprised of community members from across Northeast Wisconsin will review nominations and applications and select the winners. These are people who understand the spirit of our local communities, who care about weaving a strong social fabric, and know what it takes to do so.

Who is eligible?

Individual eligibility:

• 18 years of age or older
• Live and serve in one of the following Northeast Wisconsin counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and on the Oneida reservation.
• Project helps people connect, build trust, and sense of belonging where they live
• Project does not support a political party or policy
• Projects can serve specific affinity groups (ex. Veterans groups, language groups, women’s or men’s groups, student groups, etc.), however participation cannot be restricted based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference or identity, political party, or faith.

Organization eligibility:

• Annual budget below $250,000
• Operate in one of the following Northeast Wisconsin counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and on the Oneida reservation.
• Project helps people connect, build trust, and sense of belonging where they live
• Not support with the project a political party or policy.
• Projects can serve specific affinity groups (ex. Veterans groups, language groups, women’s or men’s groups, student groups, etc.), however participation cannot be restricted based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference or identity, political party, or faith.

What makes a good candidate for a Weaver Award?

Weaving can be formal or informal, and is characterized by four qualities:

• Local: It brings people together who share the same neighborhood, municipality, or small region.
• Mutual: It celebrates everyone’s contributions and creates opportunities for everyone to both give and receive.
• Welcoming: It invites people to join as they are.
• Continuous: It builds relationships that deepen over time.

We are looking for people and organizations with projects and initiatives that reflect these qualities. We are looking for folks who get neighbors together to tackle a shared issue in their community, or simply to help people connect to one another. The project must welcome anyone who wants to join it, and foster relationships among participants.

How can I use the funds?

We believe that Awardees will know best how to use the funds to connect their communities. However, we do have a few restrictions. Funds may not be used for:

• Regranting
• Large sums for items that are not for community use (i.e., building supplies for private use)
• Purchasing items to be donated to individual people (i.e., wheelchairs)
• Tuition or certification fees

About the Northeast Wisconsin Weaver Awards

Three organizations are partnered to deliver the Weaver Awards in Northeast Wisconsin:

NeighborWorks Green Bay’s mission is to solve housing challenges and build stronger communities, leveraging since its founding in 1982 modest resources into more than $636 million of direct investment in communities, and supporting neighborhood-based community development across the region.

The Canary Fund is a philanthropic organization founded in 2019 to empower change-makers in Northeast Wisconsin – individuals and grassroots groups that may not be recognized as formal organizations – helping them advance early-stage projects.

The Basic Needs Giving Partnership was formed in 2007 through a collaboration of several of the region’s largest philanthropic organizations -- including corporations, family foundations, and community foundations -- to be a leading regional voice for the eradication of poverty. BNGP has identified Belonging & Connection as one of three primary drivers of this work.

About Weave: The Social Fabric Project

Weave: The Social Fabric Project is an initiative of the Aspen Institute dedicated to strengthening trust, connection, and belonging in communities across the United States. Weave supports everyday weavers—neighbors who show up for others, bridge divides, and build community. Through storytelling, online learning, community-building programs, and the Weaver Awards, Weave works to repair America’s social fabric from the ground up and lift up the people who are already leading this work in their neighborhoods. Learn more at weavers.org.

FAQ

What are Weaver Awards?

The Weaver Awards recognize people from Northeast Wisconsin who are leading efforts in their local communities to bring people together. Weaver Awards celebrate and support these community builders with $2,500 - $5,000 awards, and share their stories across the region.

Who can get a Weaver Award?

The awards are for people and small groups doing something to bring people together in their local community. Weaver Awards are particularly focused on people and groups who are working very much at the grassroots of their community; often, these are people and groups who do not have access to typical funding sources — foundations, corporate sponsorships — that require a 501(c)3 nonprofit designation.

To be awarded as an individual, you must be at least 18 years old and reside within one of the following counties of Wisconsin: Brown, Calumet, Door, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and the Oneida Nation.

To be awarded as an organization, the organization must be located within and serving at least one of the geographic areas listed above, and must have an annual budget of less than $250,000. The organization can be formal or informal — it could be a club, service group, or other small organization with a community-minded purpose. For-profit businesses are not eligible to apply.

Can students under the age of 18 apply for a Weaver Award?

Youths under the age of 18 should work with a teacher, mentor, parent or other support person who would be the designated applicant on behalf of the project.

How do I nominate someone else or a group for a Weaver Award?

Nominating an individual or a group for a Weaver Award is simple. You only need to answer three questions that can be completed in as little as 15 minutes. You can access the nomination form on this page, starting on Monday, June 15 2026. To nominate someone, you must be at least 18 years of age and reside, work, or learn in one of these counties of Wisconsin: Brown, Calumet, Door, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and the Oneida Nation.

You may not nominate someone or a group if you are yourself actively involved as a partner in the activities for which the person/group is being nominated. In that case, you will want to apply directly. The purpose of nominations is to allow community members to see and give a nudge to people and groups they value in their community, separate from activities they are themselves involved in.

How do I apply for a Weaver Award?

The application has two parts:

• the application
• the nomination from someone else in the community

Both parts are accessed through the links on this page, and must be submitted no later than August 31.

What amount of funding may I apply for?

The Northeast Wisconsin Weaver Awards will be distributed in amounts ranging from $2,500 - $5,000. Applicants may not receive the full funding requested.

I'm having trouble completing the application or nomination form. What should I do?

Send an email to EMAIL ADDRESS!!! and we’ll respond as soon as possible.

What happens after I submit my application?

A group of people from Northeast Wisconsin who have some background in community building have volunteered to review and select the Weaver Awardees. Awards decisions will be made in the fall.

What happens when I or my group wins a Weaver Award?

If you or your group is chosen for a Weaver Award, further information will be shared about how the Northeast Wisconsin Weaver Awards plans to celebrate and publicize your award, and ways in which you will be invited to participate in opportunities to connect with other Weavers across our region and across the nation. The Weaver Awards are being offered in 25 localities across the country in 2026, with support from The Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute.

How do I tell others in my community about the Weaver Awards?

Spread the word by sharing the Weaver Awards home page at https://awards.weavers.org/en/newi/2026 with folks you know and through your social media accounts.

Weaver Awards Leadership Team members may be available to provide an information session in your community. Contact NeighborWorks Green Bay’s Julie Filapek at julief@nwgreenbay.org to discuss!

Who is delivering the Weaver Awards in Northeast Wisconsin?

NeighborWorks Green Bay, The Canary Fund, and the Basic Needs Giving Partnership are collaborating to bring the Weaver Awards to Northeast Wisconsin. The three organizations were selected by The Weave: The Social Fabric Project of the Aspen Institute as one of 25 Community Hosts across the nation to deliver The Weaver Awards 2026-2029.

All three Northeast Wisconsin organizations have a commitment to grassroots community building:

NeighborWorks Green Bay’s mission is to solve housing challenges and build stronger communities, and has focused the second half of that mission on strengthening social connections and civic muscle at the scale of neighborhoods and small rural communities across Northeast Wisconsin. NeighborWorks Green Bay’s role is to provide community building support and technical assistance, lead grassroots engagement, and ensure overall compliance with The Aspen Institute

The Canary Fund recognizes with grant awards the activists, visionaries, and change-makers of Northeast Wisconsin who see and work to address unmet needs in our communities. The Canary Fund will lead the Weaver Awards-making process with their community-based grants review team of volunteers.

The Basic Needs Giving Partnership supports the people and places advancing equity and economic well-being for everyone in Northeast Wisconsin, working to end poverty in our region through grantmaking and investing in community-led solutions. The Basic Needs Giving Partnership is a financial supporter of The Weaver Awards and will host regional gatherings to celebrate Awards winners and convene community partners around building support for the important work of social connection in all Northeast Wisconsin communities.

"Community Advisors" are listed as either Awards Team or Leadership Team. What is the role of each team?

The Northeast Wisconsin Weaver Awards is committed to engaging active community builders in making the important decisions about how The Weaver Awards are delivered and how Awards decisions are made. We are thrilled to have found a wonderful group of people who have agreed to participate in one of two teams:

Awards Team — Reviews applications and select Weave Award winners. Awards Team members are not eligible to apply for a Weaver Award as an individual, and would recuse themselves from deliberations regarding organizations with which they are affiliated.

Leadership Team — Advises on how news of the Weaver Awards opportunity is delivered across Northeast Wisconsin and how people are convened to learn how to build community. Leadership Team members and organizations they are affiliated with are eligible to apply for a Weaver Award.

Opportunities to join the Awards Team and Leadership Team will be made available in the future. If you are interested in being considered for participation, we would be grateful to consider your interest.

• Awards Team: Contact Pete Angilello at thecanaryfund@gmail.com
• Leadership Team: Contact Julie Filapaek at julief@nwgreenbay.org

Community Advisors

• Pete Angilello - Awards & Leadership Teams

  President/Founder, The Canary Fund

• Molly Arneson - Leadership Team

  Campaign Coordinator, Denmark Connects

• Lydia Davison - Awards Team

  Mission Integration Coordinator, St. John's Ministries

• Julie Filapek - Leadership Team

  Neighborhood Partners Program Manager, NeighborWorks Green Bay

• Jasmine Gordon - Leadership Team

  Co-Creator, Third Space Green Bay

• Latosha Greenleaf - Awards Team

  Executive Director, Urban Arts & Cultural Center

• Stephanie Gyldenvand - Leadership Team

  Community and Movement Builder

• John Hermanson - Awards Team

  Board Member, Clean Water Action Council

• Karen Iverson Riggers - Leadership Team

  Founding Worker/Owner, Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative

• Bob Johnson - Awards Team

  CEO, The Solihten Institute (retired)

• Alf Langan - Awards Team

  Attorney, Langan Law Office

• Angie Lee - Leadership Team

• Ann Lindholm - Awards Team

  Animal Welfare Advocate, A Cause for Paws

• Julie Long - Awards Team

  Board Member, The Canary Fund

• Martha Marvel - Awards Team

  President/Founder, Bay Area Council on Gender Diversity

• Maria Mason - Leadership Team

  Community Outreach Coordination, Multicultural Coalition, Inc.

• Ivor Musiiwa - Leadership Team

  Founder and Creative Director, HallowedFaith

• Stephanie Ortiz - Leadership Team

• Matthew Peter - Leadership Team

  Member, Door County Mutual Aid

• Abigail Robinson - Leadership Team

  Co-Founder and Lead Teacher, Algoma Venture Academy

• Elizabeth Steffel - Leadership Team

• Sarah Titus - Awards Team

  Grants Writer, NeighborWorks Green Bay

• Alex Zacarias - Awards Team

  Independent Filmmaker, 3N Productions