Supporting lived experiences

The TruStage Foundation

The TruStage Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and is the philanthropic arm of the company. Since 1967, we've built relationships and invested into the communities where we live and serve.

Our stance on social justice

We are committed to equity. We stand against racism and stand for social justice. We are intentional and strategic with our investments. We support organizations and programs that create structural and systemic change in underrepresented and marginalized communities.

We'll continue to center the lived experiences of the most marginalized and underfunded groups in our communities — so that a brighter and more confident financial future can become a reality.

Supporting our community

Our philanthropic efforts center on economic mobility in two key areas: education and housing. Our education focus is grounded in supporting K-12th grade students through literacy, mentoring and tutoring. Under the housing umbrella, we are focusing on funding requests for affordable housing, supporting people experiencing homelessness and rental assistance.

To support meaningful and intentional investments that lead to systemic change, we prioritize organizations in Madison/Dane County, Wisconsin, and the Cedar Valley area (Waverly, Waterloo, and Cedar Falls), Iowa for our annual grant awards. These communities are where our corporate headquarters and the highest percentage of our employees are located.

We support organizations focused on economic mobility across all 50 states through matching gifts during our annual employee giving campaign.

What's the difference between a grant and a sponsorship?

Grant: A gift from the TruStage Foundation, which allows us to receive named recognition but no other benefits from our financial support.
Sponsorship: A contribution from TruStage that may provide us with named recognition, marketing and advertising opportunities, admission to events, etc.

Grant requests 

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) team reviews grant requests on an ongoing basis throughout the year.  

The TruStage Foundation does not fund:

• Charitable causes that aren't aligned with economic mobility (e.g., animal welfare, arts and culture, sports and recreation)
• Charitable causes that align with economic mobility but do not align with education or housing (e.g., food, lodging, safety)
• Capital campaigns
• Individuals
• Fraternal organizations
• Non-educational religious organizations
• Political causes or candidates

Dates and deadlines for 2026

Our Foundation Board has three meetings scheduled for 2026. The meeting dates and application cycle dates are as follows:

• Cycle 1: accepting applications from Monday, January 12 – Friday, February 13, 2026 — Meeting: March 16, 2026
• Cycle 2: accepting applications from Monday, February 16 – Friday, May 1, 2026 — Meeting: June 8, 2026
• Cycle 3: accepting applications from Monday, May 4 – Friday, August 14, 2026 — Meeting: September 21, 2026

Please note that our team will not accept applications received outside of the respective windows to ensure we can deliver full and accurate requests to our Foundation Board ahead of each meeting.

For questions, please email corporate social responsibility.