The Oshkosh Corporation Foundation

The Oshkosh Corporation partners with other organizations to make a difference in communities around the world. Established in 1967, the Foundation distributed over $1 million in grants last year.

The foundation focuses its efforts in four areas:

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1 / Basic needs & economic stability

The foundation is committed to helping people move out of poverty, working closely with community organizations like United Way, Habitat for Humanity, food pantries and homeless shelters to help those in need.

Building community is at the heart of what we do. In 2017, we donated a parcel of land in Appleton, Wisconsin to Habitat for Humanity. In order to bring the block back to a standard suitable for residential development and revitalize the area around it, Oshkosh Corporation demolished the unoccupied Pierce facility. Afterwards, more than 20 members of the Oshkosh Airport Products team volunteered over the next several months to help construct the first Habitat for Humanity home on the parcel.

2 / Youth mentorship

We’re focused on providing life and job skills training for youth across our communities, partnering with groups like the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Junior Achievement to prepare young people for their future careers.

Inspiring and preparing young people to succeed is what Junior Achievement is all about. Teaching students in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy, JA volunteers reach millions of students per year. Oshkosh Corporation team member and JA volunteer D.J. Braemer has volunteered for four years and has personally reached many students, impacting their lives in a positive and inspiring way. D.J. says, “Where else can you make a positive impact on the lives of youth in as little as five hours?” Something he will never forget is a card he received from one of his JA students. It read, “Thank you DJ. I now know what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be just like you.”

3 / OSHKOSH FAMILY EXCELLENCE

In addition to providing scholarship opportunities for children of our team members, the Foundation supports the Oshkosh Excellence Awards program, recognizing team members who make an impact within the company and awarding their charity of choice Foundation grants.

The 2019 Oshkosh Excellence Awards brought together team members from around the world to celebrate and present their improvement ideas to a panel of executive judges, who selected winners across categories including: Delighting our Customers, Environmental Responsibility and Sustainability, Innovative Excellence, Human Development and Quick Win. The overall winning team was able to reduce turnover in their facility from 17% to 1.9% by better incorporating our People First culture. The team selected Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to receive a $17,500 grant from the Oshkosh Corporation Foundation. In 2019, the OEAs gave $147,500 to charities selected by winners across all categories.

4 / Industry-related causes

Our support doesn’t stop with team and community members. We’re also committed to helping the people we serve, giving to charities like the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in recognition of those who use our products to make a difference. 

We are proud of what we do and enjoy giving back to our supportive communities and the industries we work in, including the fire industry. Each year, Pierce Manufacturing hosts a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The proceeds from the event go to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to help survivors rebuild their lives and reduce firefighter deaths. Carrying a badge with the name and picture of a fallen firefighter, climbers are invited to ascend the equivalent of 110 stories – the height of the World Trade Center towers. At the equivalent of the 78th floor (the highest level reached by the firefighters at the World Trade Center), climbers ring a bell in memory of the firefighter on the badge they’re carrying.

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