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An unprecedented sponsorship of $150,000 was granted to the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic needs Tuesday night at the fund’s first State of the Fund meeting.

The U.S. Oil Open, which has been raising money for nonprofit organizations since 1986, changed its mission two years ago to further assist nonprofit organizations get to the root causes of poverty. Tom Remley of the Rhoades Foundation of Neenah presented the check at Tuesday night’s event.

The State of the Fund meeting was the first formal effort to bring together the knowledge and expertise that has been accumulating over the last year and share this information regionally among the community foundations of Oshkosh, Greater Green Bay and the Fox Valley Region.

“Having the opportunity to provide positive and constructive feedback to a fund that has been so generous to us as an organization was truly a unique and exciting experience,” said Lisa Schneider, executive director of Housing Partnership of the Fox Cities. “The opportunity was set in an environment that was comfortable and casual, and it was clear that all involved were looking for opportunities to improve processes, collaborations, outreach, and most importantly communication.”

Housing Partnership was the recipient of two grants in the spring, one for its collaboration with the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley for the Housing First program and one for its efforts to expand its core program and provide more supportive services to clients.

The U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs is the recipient of all funds raised through the U.S. Oil Open, which since its inception in 1986, has raised almost $9 million for nonprofit efforts to fight poverty. The fund makes grants to nonprofits working to help people struggling to secure basic life needs such as housing, health care, and job skills. Funds are managed by advisory committees at each of the three regional Community Foundations, with 10 percent of the fund balance being given to non-profit organizations in grants annually.

In 2007, the Basic Needs Giving Partnership was formed when the J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc. decided to match the grantmaking budget of the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs. In 2008 and 2009 combined this partnership will make grants of nearly $3 million to fight poverty throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The J. J. Keller Foundation has committed to match the grantmaking budget of the Fund continues through 2010.

“Now more than ever we know how critical this fund is to our community and we are grateful to be in a position to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are helping families fight poverty every day,” said Sarah Schmidt, director of the U.S. Oil Open. “This meeting was a chance to continue to improve our process and promote collaboration throughout the region.”

The 24th U.S. Oil Open will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 12 with a goal to raise $1.5 million for the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs. As the host of the event U.S. Oil Co., Inc. pays for all of the expenses of the event.