At the forefront of change

GREEN BAY – “We like to call ourselves people who turn over rocks,” said Pete Angilello, president/co-founder of The Canary Fund.

Established in 2019 to honor community member James Rivett — inspired by the canaries brought into coal mines to sense and respond to the environment — The Canary Fund is a nonprofit that helps individuals and new organizations get started in their early-stage projects and help spread compassion and sustainability in Northeast Wisconsin.

From 2019 to 2021 The Canary Fund worked in partnership with the Pollination Project; however, they officially became a non-profit organization in 2021.

The organization supports individuals and organizations at the “forefront of change.”

Funded by donations themselves, The Canary Fund offers seed grants to individuals and organizations in need.

“They are seed grants so it helps with leverage if these individuals or start-up organizations want to go to a larger fund they can say they have a $3000 see grant from our fund,” Angilello explained.

Inspired by the Pollinations Project they find the people who are approaching a problem in their community.

The Canary Fund supports 10 major categories of change, some of which include Human Services and Basic Needs, Youth Leadership and Development, Animal Rights and Welfare and Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship.

To qualify for The Canary Fund, the individual or organization must be doing their work in one of the 12 counties.

The process is simple: there are 16 members of the board and seven members on the panel. The panel with go through all of the applications to see what they have been doing in their community and look at if they have received previous funds.

“We make it very simple as many of these individuals it’s their first time applying for a grant. We make it so it isn’t overwhelming … we even offer oral interviews for people who struggle to write down their ideas or if English isn’t their first language,” Angilello added.

Once an individual or organization has received funds they are given a grant ambassador to check in on the project and status and they are sent a nine-month report to fill out on how they are using the funding.

“The best way for people to know is our website; there is a link on the homepage to subscribe to the newsletter. That is where they can find out about upcoming applications,” Angilello said.

The Canary Fund will typically give out the seed grants twice a year.

In their recent rollout of seed grants, they were able to give $21,100 to 10 change-makers throughout Northeastern Wisconsin.

The Canary Fund is a nonprofit themselves, so they are always looking for donors who can help support them.

They hold events, including their first annual Halloween Bash on Friday, Oct. 25.

For more information, visit www.thecanaryfund.org.