Established in 1994 as a community foundation, Incourage has evolved in response to community need from a traditional grantmaker into a values-led, resident-centered and place-based organization stewarding and connecting all forms of resources or capital – moral, social, human, intellectual, reputational, financial and natural – toward a powerful shared vision: a community that works well for all people. View a timeline of our work.
After the sale and significant downsizing of the local Fortune 500 paper company in 2000, the region experienced 40% job loss and a community-wide crisis of culture and identity-loss. Incourage incubated and modeled new approaches to shape a thriving, sustainable and inclusive community. This included fostering openness to new ideas and entrepreneurial possibilities, redefined leadership and decision-making processes, and a shift in mindset from “I can’t” to “I can” to “We can do better.”
Today, in partnership with thousands of residents, local and national partners, our community is ready to face both challenges and opportunities.
What populations comprise the community?
We serve the south Wood County area, which reaches across many city limits and civic borders. Roughly, our service area (population 45,000) includes the areas in, around, and between the towns and cities of Wisconsin Rapids, Port Edwards, Nekoosa, Kellner, Grand Rapids, Biron, Rome, Rudolph, Pittsville, and Vesper.
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hear from you.