Immediate danger? For injuries, fire, trapped or missing people, gas danger, collapse, live wires, or another threat to life:Call 911

Funding & support for the helpers

Partner Support Resources

Researched starting points for organizations trying to finance, reimburse, document, equip, or sustain legitimate tornado-recovery work.

These resources are for recovery partners, not household assistance. The Hub explains documented pathways but does not determine eligibility, award funds, approve reimbursement, or guarantee that a program applies.

Hub-curated partner information

Start with the support mechanism that fits the work.

Grants, reimbursements, procurement, tax guidance, and operational support are not interchangeable. Read the eligibility and “Not for” guidance before acting.

Last reviewed: Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at 11:44 AM CDT. Individual partner resources show their own last-checked dates; confirm current rules before relying on a funding or support pathway.

18 partner support resources

Grants & Charitable FundingConfirmed for this tornado

2026 Tornado Community Response Fund - Recovery Organization Grants

Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, United Way Fox Cities, and Oshkosh Area Community Foundation

Rolling local grants support eligible organizations carrying tornado relief, short-term response, and longer-term recovery work, including organizational capacity, case management, housing, food, health and well-being, and needs-based household financial-assistance programs administered through established nonprofit processes.

Good fit for: Eligible community organizations experiencing increased operational demand or delivering case management, housing, food, health, well-being, or needs-based household financial assistance through established processes because of the July 27 tornado.

Not for: Not a direct household or business application. Aid to individuals is channeled through nonprofit organizations with established processes for determining need. Private foundations, labor unions, and 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) organizations are not eligible under the published criteria.

Sponsorship & UnderwritingConfirmed for this tornado

Thrivent Tornado Support - Action Teams and Choice Dollars

Thrivent

Thrivent has activated member giving and volunteer tools for Fox Valley tornado recovery, including expedited Thrivent Action Teams and Thrivent Choice Dollars that can support eligible local organizations and community recovery projects.

Good fit for: Organizations with a concrete recovery service project, fundraiser, volunteer activity or supply need that can be supported by a Thrivent member-led Action Team, or organizations already enrolled or eligible for Thrivent Choice.

Not for: The announced $500,000 Fox Valley commitment is not presented as an open grant pool that organizations can simply apply to through this card. Do not promise access to that corporate allocation or a specific Choice Dollars amount.

Loans & Working CapitalConditional

WEDC Disaster Recovery Microloan Program - Regional Activation Pathway

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)

A standing Wisconsin disaster-financing program that can fund pre-approved regional economic-development entities to deploy rapid-response microloans to physically damaged businesses after a disaster.

Good fit for: Economic-development partners assessing whether the July 27 tornado warrants a WEDC allocation, and physically damaged businesses that may need short-term gap financing if a regional allocation is activated.

Not for: Not an automatically open loan program for every affected business. WEDC must approve funding to a pre-approved regional entity before local business loans are available.

Reimbursement & Cost RecoveryConditional

Wisconsin Disaster Fund - Local Government Cost Reimbursement

Wisconsin Emergency Management

A state reimbursement program for eligible local governmental units, federally recognized tribes and bands, and retail electric cooperatives when FEMA Public Assistance is not available.

Good fit for: Eligible municipalities, counties, tribes, and retail electric cooperatives documenting disaster costs such as debris clearance, emergency protective measures, eligible road/bridge repair, rental equipment, materials, and contract work.

Not for: Not direct reimbursement for individuals, private businesses, or ordinary nonprofit organizations. The program also excludes many costs and does not simply reimburse any community service performed during a disaster.

Reimbursement & Cost RecoveryConditional

FEMA Public Assistance - Government and Eligible Nonprofit Recovery Costs

Federal Emergency Management Agency and Wisconsin Emergency Management

FEMA Public Assistance can reimburse eligible emergency and permanent-work costs for state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and certain private nonprofits after a qualifying federal disaster declaration.

Good fit for: Government/public entities and potentially eligible private nonprofits that are documenting disaster-caused emergency or permanent work and need to understand federal reimbursement requirements.

Not for: Not direct household assistance and not a general reimbursement program for ordinary private businesses. A private nonprofit performing emergency services may need a request or established relationship with the legally responsible government entity for certain work.

Government Disaster GrantsConditional

Wisconsin CDBG Emergency Assistance Program - Local Government Disaster Grants

Wisconsin Department of Administration - Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources

Wisconsin local governments can seek CDBG emergency funding for eligible disaster-caused housing, public-facility, infrastructure and business-assistance needs, with low- and moderate-income benefit requirements.

Good fit for: Municipal or county partners evaluating disaster housing rehabilitation/replacement, demolition, public-facility or infrastructure repair, or business assistance such as equipment replacement and reopening capital.

Not for: Not a direct state application for individual households, nonprofits, or businesses; eligible household or business assistance is administered through the local-government grantee. It cannot pay costs covered by insurance or other federal/state assistance, cannot address 100% of recovery costs, and cannot be used as the local match for another state or federal funding award.

Tax, Accounting & DocumentationEvergreen guidance

IRS Guidance - Volunteer Expenses, Donated Services, Equipment and Space

Internal Revenue Service

Official tax guidance explains what disaster-relief volunteers and organizations should document, which out-of-pocket expenses may qualify, and why the value of donated time, services, equipment use, or space is generally not deductible as a charitable contribution.

Good fit for: Organizations structuring volunteer reimbursement policies and helpers trying to understand the difference between donated economic value and potentially deductible out-of-pocket expenses.

Not for: Not a grant, reimbursement program, or promise of a tax deduction. The value of volunteer time or services and the fair-market rental value of donated equipment or space are generally not deductible as charitable contributions.

In-Kind & Operational SupportConfirmed for this tornado

Volunteer Fox Cities - Post Tornado Volunteer and In-Kind Needs

Volunteer Fox Cities

Nonprofits and other recovery organizations can use Volunteer Fox Cities and its Get Connected platform to surface current tornado-related volunteer opportunities and recruit help as recovery needs evolve.

Good fit for: Recovery organizations that need volunteers or broader visibility for a clearly defined tornado-recovery project and can safely coordinate the work.

Not for: Not direct cash funding, household case management or a guarantee that volunteers or donated goods will be available.

Government Disaster GrantsConditional

USDA NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection - Community Hazard Recovery

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Emergency Watershed Protection can provide technical and financial assistance to eligible community sponsors addressing imminent threats to life and property caused by windstorms and other natural disasters that impair a watershed.

Good fit for: Municipalities, counties, towns or other qualified sponsors dealing with tornado-created hazards such as debris-clogged waterways, unstable streambanks, severe erosion threatening infrastructure, damaged drainage features or wind-borne debris affecting watershed function.

Not for: Not direct assistance to an individual household and not a general debris-removal grant. The hazard must fit EWP watershed and imminent-threat requirements, and work proceeds through an eligible sponsor.

In-Kind & Operational SupportEvergreen guidance

Wisconsin Animal Response Corps - Official Animal-Response Capacity

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

A trained statewide animal-emergency response capability that can support local authorities when officially requested and activated.

Good fit for: Emergency management and animal-response partners identifying specialized animal sheltering, rescue, veterinary, livestock, or response capacity beyond ordinary public pet-service referrals.

Not for: Not a direct public dispatch service and not a self-referral pathway for individual pet owners.

Technical Assistance & NavigationEvergreen guidance

Wisconsin Disaster Recovery Resource Guide

Wisconsin Emergency Management

An official Wisconsin guide that organizes recovery programs for public infrastructure, housing, economic development, agriculture, mitigation, and other recovery functions.

Good fit for: Recovery partners doing a broader funding or program scan when a more specific confirmed resource is not yet identified.

Not for: Not proof that a listed program is active for the July 27 tornado and not a substitute for checking the administering agency's current program page.

Reimbursement & Cost RecoveryConditional

WisDOT / FHWA Emergency Relief - Federal-Aid Highway Disaster Damage

Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration

Emergency Relief can assist local governments with eligible disaster damage on federal-aid highways, including roadway or structure repair, debris removal and emergency protective measures such as traffic control and detour signing.

Good fit for: Municipal or county highway partners documenting tornado-caused damage, debris removal, traffic-control costs or roadway/structure repairs on a federal-aid highway.

Not for: Not the same as Wisconsin Disaster Damage Aids and not a general reimbursement route for every local street. Roads outside the federal-aid system may belong under other state/local recovery pathways.

Reimbursement & Cost RecoveryConditional

WisDOT Disaster Damage Aids - Local Road Recovery

Wisconsin Department of Transportation

A Wisconsin financial-assistance program for local governments repairing highways that sustained significant damage from a disaster event.

Good fit for: Municipal, county or other eligible roadway authorities documenting significant tornado-related road or roadway-structure damage and related repair costs.

Not for: Not a general road-repair fund and not the same program as FHWA Emergency Relief. Federal-aid highway damage may belong under the separate Emergency Relief pathway instead.

Tax, Accounting & DocumentationEvergreen guidance

IRS Disaster Relief Charity Rules - Needs-Based Aid and Recordkeeping

Internal Revenue Service

Official IRS guidance explains how charitable organizations may provide disaster relief to individuals and, in limited circumstances, businesses; how needs-based assistance works; and what records charities should keep.

Good fit for: Nonprofits, churches and charitable funders designing direct financial assistance, emergency goods/services, longer-term household support or grants to another qualified charity for tornado recovery.

Not for: Not a grant source and not legal or tax advice from the Hub. It does not make every payment to an individual or business a permissible charitable expenditure.

Grants & Charitable FundingConditional

Walmart Spark Good Local Grants - Community and Disaster Projects

Walmart and Sam's Club

Eligible local nonprofits, government entities, schools and qualifying faith-based organizations can apply to nearby Walmart or Sam's Club facilities for competitive local cash grants, including disaster preparedness and response projects.

Good fit for: Local recovery organizations seeking a modest competitive grant for a clearly defined community need, including disaster preparedness/response, cleanup, food, supplies or other eligible local work.

Not for: Not tornado-specific funding and not guaranteed. Some organization types are excluded, and the organization must meet Spark Good verification and local-service-area requirements.

Loans & Working CapitalConditional

FEMA Community Disaster Loan - Local Government Operating Revenue Recovery

Federal Emergency Management Agency

A conditional FEMA loan program can help eligible local governments continue essential municipal services after a major disaster causes a substantial loss of tax or other revenue.

Good fit for: Municipal finance and emergency-management partners evaluating whether disaster-caused revenue losses threaten the ability to maintain essential government services.

Not for: Not a construction reimbursement, household loan, nonprofit grant or ordinary business loan. It is not active merely because a disaster occurred.

Technical Assistance & NavigationEvergreen guidance

Wisconsin VOAD - Disaster Coordination Network for Organizations

Wisconsin Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (Wisconsin VOAD)

Wisconsin VOAD connects voluntary organizations so they can share knowledge, capabilities and resources across disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

Good fit for: Organizations that need to coordinate with the broader disaster-services network, reduce duplication, identify complementary capabilities or connect into long-term recovery collaboration.

Not for: Not a direct survivor grant program, reimbursement guarantee or public dispatch service for an individual household.

Grants & Charitable FundingConditional

State Farm Community Grants - Disaster Recovery and Community Development

State Farm

State Farm charitable funding includes disaster recovery, disaster preparedness/mitigation, affordable housing, small-business development and food insecurity among its published community-grant focus areas.

Good fit for: Established organizations with a defined disaster-recovery or community-development program that aligns with State Farm priorities and can make a credible case for support.

Not for: Not an open automatic tornado grant, not direct aid for individuals, and not a program where every submitted request receives a response.