Volunteers help clear debris from an a man's home in Menasha who was injured during the July 27, 2026 tornado. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Tornado Relief Fund will donate at least $1 million to help affected households address immediate recovery needs in the wake of the EF-3 tornado that tore through the Fox Cities.
This will include costs like rent assistance, food and transportation.
The Tornado Relief Fund is a joint effort among United Way Fox Cities, the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Donors have already given over $3 million to the fund.
Over $650,000 has already been donated to non-profits supporting basic needs and volunteer coordination.
“When you think about basic needs, it’s everything under the spectrum,” said Curt Detjen, President/CEO of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. “It’s providing food to people that need it. It’s providing some emergency lodging to people that need it.”
The organizations will decide which non-profits to partner with next week. At that point, they’ll give instructions to households interested in applying for financial assistance.
- Click here to see a full list of the 30 non-profits the fund has given grants to with the $650,000
- Click here to donate to the Fox Cities Tornado Relief Fund
Each individual non-profit has discretion over whether you’re eligible and what amount to provide you with.
“[The non-profits] are specialists in making sure that financial assistance can be accessible, it can be understandable,” said United Way Fox Cities President/CEO Lisa Kogan-Praska. “We’re going to be working with these trusted non-profits that do that work, but all of the dollars are going to be designated to direct financial assistance to households.”
Every dollar donated to the fund will be directed toward relief in the community, that is none will be kept for overhead cost by the three fundraising organizations and all will stay local.
The organizations hope to have information on how to apply out by next week for the short-term assistance. Long-term assistance for things like home repairs and rebuilding would come at a later date, though Detjen and Kogan-Praska said they hope to have money to support homeowners in that area.
A few commonly asked questions:
When can I apply for assistance?
Non-profits will likely open applications late next week.
How can I apply?
See a full list of non-profits at the link above. Visit each non-profit’s website for more information.
United Way Fox Cities plans to post information about how to apply next week.
What is this assistance for?
The assistance is for short-term needs and will be specified by the non-profits. It’s likely to include things like rent assistance, lodging, food and transportation costs but not home repairs or rebuilds.
Who is eligible?
Each individual non-profit will decide the eligibility of each applicant.
Why is the fund only $3 million when companies have pledged more support?
Many companies have donated to tornado relief through other avenues besides the Tornado Relief Fund.
Comments