Capital Credit Union fills funding gaps that leave first responders without basic gear

Municipal budgets often fall short of covering the equipment police, fire, and EMS departments need to protect their communities. Capital Credit Union’s Elevate Communities program has distributed more than $800,000 since 2018 to help rural Wisconsin first responders close those gaps–and applications for 2026 grants are now open.

When Laura Welsh visited a northern Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office last year, she learned something that stopped her cold: deputies had been responding to emergencies without triage kits in their squad cars. No bandages, no tourniquets, no way to stabilize a victim before paramedics arrived.

“A bit surprising, right? That they didn’t have these triage kits,” said Welsh, director of community relations at Capital Credit Union. “But they didn’t.”

Capital Credit Union, headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with $2.7 billion in assets and more than 127,000 members, changed that. Through its Elevate Communities program, the credit union funded triage kits for every squad car in the fleet, along with automated external defibrillators. The grant was one of 19 awards distributed in 2025, totaling $100,000 among police, fire, and EMS departments across the credit union’s 18-county service area.

A program born from necessity

The Elevate Communities program traces its roots to 2017, when a local fire department purchased a new truck but couldn’t afford the equipment needed to put it into service. Municipal funding had fallen short, and the department turned to the credit union for help.

“Governmental funding doesn’t always cover the bills,” said Shelah Dillon, community relations specialist at Capital Credit Union. “Because of that specific ask and bringing visibility to that need, Capital Credit Union created the Elevate Communities program.”

Since launching in 2018, the program has distributed more than $800,000 to first responders. Last year marked its largest applicant pool yet: 80 applications requesting a combined $1.4 million in funding, far exceeding the $100,000 available annually.

Small items, big impact

The grants often fund equipment that seems modest but proves critical. When the Friends of the Appleton Fire Department requested gear washers and drying racks, the ask addressed a life-or-death issue: contaminated turnout gear is a leading cause of cancer among firefighters. Previously, crews at three stations had to leave their districts just to wash protective clothing after fighting structure fires.

Other grants have funded LED light bars for volunteer fire departments in rural areas, where visibility on dark county roads can mean the difference between safety and tragedy. One department still had old-fashioned spinner lights: dimmer, less visible, and harder on vehicle batteries.

Green Bay police received e-bikes that improved officer mobility during last year’s NFL Draft and Packers game days at Lambeau Field as part of the department’s Safe Parks Initiative. Another department obtained specialized software to assist with sex trafficking investigations.

For Dillon, reading through grant applications has been an education in the overlooked needs of emergency services. Seeing first responders not just as public servants but as people whose health and safety depend on adequate resources has shaped how the credit union approaches the program.  

“It makes the individuals who put their lives at risk more human,” Dillon said.

‘Walking the walk’ on community commitment

For Welsh, the program exemplifies what distinguishes credit unions from other financial institutions.

“We always say that we’re here because of our members and we’re here because of our community,” she said. “The more we can give back and make our community stronger and better, then we’re only doing our due justice for our members.”

When she meets with grant recipients, Welsh sees both gratitude and pride. Departments thank the credit union for a program that helps them obtain resources their budgets cannot provide. Then they describe, with evident satisfaction, how the equipment allows them to better serve their communities.

“You can talk the talk, but Capital Credit Union is actually walking the walk,” Welsh said. “That right there speaks to the credit union difference and why our industry is here.”