Grant Program: Community Capacity Grant

This project, Strengthening a Foundation for Health and Justice across Wisconsin Communities, led by the Wisconsin Prison Partnership is building on nearly 20 years of restorative justice programming established through the Prison Ministry Project (PMP) to create a sustainable, independent nonprofit that expands opportunities for healing for individuals, families and communities impacted by incarceration. Since 2006, PMP has facilitated more than 100 restorative justice groups in 10 Wisconsin prisons, bringing more than 1,500 incarcerated individuals into dialogue with community volunteers. As demand for programming has grown, the organization has expanded to two women’s prisons, supported book clubs for incarcerated peer support specialists in nine prisons and launched a restorative justice program for recently released women. Through this project, the Wisconsin Prison Partnership will strengthen its organizational foundation to sustain and grow this work while advancing partnerships that address incarceration as a social determinant of health.

This project, Healthy Beginnings Outdoors: Strengthening the System for Nature-based Early Childhood Education, led by the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education (WAEE) seeks to strengthen its organizational capacity to lead a statewide coalition advancing outdoor and nature-based early childhood education. Building on the merger of three grassroots organizations and partnerships across the environmental education, early childhood and public health sectors, the project focuses on strategic planning, coalition development and operational improvements. WAEE plans to recruit 10 early childhood education providers across all five Wisconsin Department of Children and Families regions to participate in a year-long planning process, while improving donor management systems, creating a statewide resource hub and map, and strengthening fundraising and leadership capacity to support healthier early care environments and expand equitable access to nature for children across Wisconsin.

This project, Community Connections: La Crosse Mental Health Resource Hub, led by the Mental Health Coalition of the Greater La Crosse Area is strengthening its capacity to serve as a trusted, centralized resource for mental health and wellness across La Crosse County. The Coalition is enhancing its website to create an accessible hub for mental health resources, training opportunities, prevention initiatives and collaborative efforts, including the community-wide Be Here: Unplug, Connect, Thrive campaign. The project also includes strategic communications support and professional development in Lifestyle Medicine, equipping cross-sector partners with a shared, evidence-based framework focused on connection, sleep, stress management, physical activity, nutrition and substance use. Together, these efforts will improve access to trusted information, strengthen community collaboration and expand equitable, prevention-focused mental wellness strategies.

This project, Capacity Building Initiative, led by the Sondercove Foundation works to expand fair and impartial access to mental health and substance use recovery supports by funding free, peer-led and culturally responsive services for individuals and families who are often excluded from traditional systems of care. Through this project, the Foundation will build the organizational infrastructure needed to sustain these services by developing a fundraising and sustainability strategy, establishing grant tracking, donor stewardship and reporting systems and strengthening board and leadership capacity in nonprofit governance, ethical fundraising and long-term resource development.

This project, Capacity Building for Fundraising Infrastructure, led by Root 2 Rise will strengthen its organization’s fundraising capacity by partnering with Bold & Write Fundraising Consulting to diversify revenue streams, build sustainable fundraising infrastructure and secure long-term funding needed to expand the program in response to growing demand from school districts.

This project, Collective Impact Imperative, led by the N.E.W. Mental Health Connection will strengthen its organizational capacity by redesigning its website and updating marketing materials to better support mental health across the Fox Valley Tri-County region. The project will create a secure member portal with exclusive resources for dues-paying members, modernize public-facing communications and improve how funders, partners and community members understand the coalition’s collective impact. These enhancements will strengthen member engagement and retention, support long-term financial sustainability and reinforce The Connection’s ability to lead systems change that advances mental health equity.

This project, Strengthening Volunteer Coordination to Improve Community Access to Fresh Produce, led by the Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens (MAFPG) is expanding the organization’s capacity to provide equitable access to fresh, culturally meaningful produce for Dane County residents experiencing nutrition insecurity. This project invests in a centralized volunteer coordination system and strategic planning implementation to improve volunteer engagement, reduce staff burden, strengthen organizational systems and ensure MAFPG can continue providing consistent access to nutritious food for communities most affected by nutrition insecurity.

This project, Building a Caregiver Wellness and Resource Hub for Dementia Families in Milwaukee, led by Legacy Home and Respite Care Foundation seeks to strengthen its organizational capacity by transforming its website into a centralized Caregiver Wellness and Resource Hub for family caregivers of people living with dementia. Building on programs that have directly served the community, the project aims to create a more accessible, caregiver-centered digital experience. The enhanced hub is designed to streamline access to respite services, Caregiver Sanctuary programming, support groups, wellness resources and event registration while improving backend operations by consolidating forms, reducing manual workflows and strengthening staff capacity to manage the site for long-term sustainability.

This project, Mental Health Coalition Capacity Building, led by the Hmong Autism Neurodiverse Disability Support is strengthening their organization’s capacity to lead a statewide Hmong Mental Health Coalition. This project will establish a coalition roadmap, governance framework and sustainable systems for partner coordination and communication. By moving from ad hoc collaboration to structured, long-term coalition leadership, the initiative aims to reduce duplication of efforts, amplify Hmong voices, strengthen culturally responsive mental health advocacy and improve community wellbeing across Wisconsin.

Through this project, seven regional AHEC Centers and the Wisconsin AHEC State Program Office will benefit from a central customer relations management (CRM) database, which will allow the centers to co-develop and co-deliver responsive programming in rural and underserved communities.