Foundation Awards $138K in CU Development & Difference Grants

The Wisconsin Credit Union Foundation recently awarded five Credit Union Development and five Difference Grants–totaling over $138,000–to help Wisconsin’s credit unions better serve their members and communities.

Credit Union Development Grants
The Credit Union Development Grant assists Wisconsin’s credit unions with technology- and operations-related expenses and upgrades that improve member service. This year’s recipients are:

• Badger-Globe Credit Union, $15,000.00 for website design and implementation;
• Lakewood Credit Union, $9,950.00 for website development;
• Service Credit Union, $23,240.00 for instant issue debit card implementation;
• Taylor Credit Union, $10,000.00 for security cameras and security server replacements;
• Wisconsin Latvian Credit Union, $14,850.00 for server replacement

The Difference Grants
The Difference impacts public and policymaker perceptions of Wisconsin’s credit unions by showcasing how credit unions maximize their people-before-profit cooperative potential to meet the needs of members and their communities. This grant supports Wisconsin credit unions offering innovative services and programs that provide affordable alternatives to high-cost financial products and services, increase financial literacy, and more. This year’s recipients are:

• Badger-Globe Credit Union, $10,000.00 for Grow with Us Credit Builder Product Suite
  • Grow with Us is a new lending empowerment program designed to expand access to affordable financial services for underserved individuals within our community. The program combines credit-building loan products with personalized financial education and coaching to help members achieve long-term financial stability.
• Lakewood Credit Union, $15,000.00 for Core Community – Taylor County
  • Core Community – Taylor County is a relationship-based program launching in Spring 2027 to help local families build lasting financial stability and move out of poverty. As a financial institution rooted in this community, Lakewood Credit Union recognizes the long-term value of helping families develop the skills, relationships, and stability needed to achieve true economic independence, rather than relying solely on emergency assistance.
• PCM Credit Union, $5,000.00 for So You’re a Broke College Student. Now What?
  • So You’re a Broke College Student: Now What? is a practical financial education solution for college students throughout the credit union’s field of membership. Most programs are geared towards middle school and high school students overlook the needs of college students and do not focus on creating information around living independently, building credit, balancing expenses, paying bills, building credit, and more.
• PCM Credit Union, $10,000.00 for QCash Payday Loan Alternative Implementation
  • QCash is a program for the credit union to offer small dollar loans to members through a fully automated platform that considers relationship over credit score, and allows for real-time funding of loans 24/7.  This program allows members to use a lending solution outside of predatory and high-cost lending options, especially in times of emergencies.
• Prime Financial Credit Union, $25,000.00 for Prime Pathways: Building Financial Stability Through Intentional Member Journeys
  • Prime Pathways will create a structured financial coaching model that helps members identify where they are today, establish realistic financial goals, and understand the next steps in their financial journey. The program will be focused on not a single workshop or transaction, but rather through building a relationship with coaching, education, and appropriate credit union products and services into an intentional member journey.

The grant application cycle for both Credit Union Development and The Difference grants runs from May 15-June 30 annually. These grants would not be possible without the generous support of Foundation donors and partners–thank you!