Grant Program: Community Capacity Grant

This project, Promoting Access via Outreach, Education and Program Development, led by the Auxilia Initiative, expanded access to early mental health support for first responders and community members in rural Bayfield and Ashland counties. Through outreach, relationship-building and volunteer recruitment, the organization strengthened its referral network, increased awareness of its services and recruited ten additional volunteer therapists.

This project will invest in staff professional development and leadership training to build organizational skills and knowledge to support Scenic Rivers AHEC’s work of addressing shortages of health care workers in southwest Wisconsin.

Nia Imani Family, a Milwaukee-based organization addressing housing instability used WPP funding for the project Sustainable Institutional Advancement Strategy Planning and Support. Through the project, the organization partnered with a grant professional to strengthen its fundraising capacity and support organizational growth. The project established a grant team, shared filing system, grant calendar and processes for managing funding opportunities, applications and reporting. These improvements allowed staff to focus on expanding programs for young parents, youth and community members while building more sustainable institutional funding.

Mom’s Mental Health Initiative (MMHI) is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals navigate perinatal mental health disorders, such as postpartum depression and anxiety. This project, Managing Rapid Growth: Enhancing Infrastructure and Sustainable Donor Strategies, led by MMHI sought to strengthen its fundraising infrastructure and develop sustainable sources of revenue. With this award, MMHI partnered with a consultant to assess its fundraising capacity and create a revenue strategy tailored to its three core program areas: education and awareness, resource brokering and peer support. The resulting revenue models helped MMHI establish a paid membership program for partners and sponsors and begin developing a corporate education revenue structure. These strategies, combined with new donor software and strengthened partnerships, positioned MMHI to sustain its growth while continuing to provide resource brokering and peer support services free of charge to perinatal individuals.

Through this project, Hudson Area Backpack & Food Program will purchase refrigerators and freezers in order to provide perishable goods to A.L.I.C.E. (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households in St. Croix County from their new, permanent Fresh Harvest Pantry location. This grant has ended. 

This project will establish a marketing strategy to promote community partnerships and bring awareness to the resources DaneMAC offers to ensure that survivors of gender violence have access to services when, where and how they want.

This project, Project Phoenix – Website, Marketing and Community Resource Enhancement, led by Dairyland Sports expanded access to adaptive sport, fitness and recreation opportunities by launching an accessible website and searchable resource directory. The project also strengthened the organization’s marketing, community outreach and revenue-generating capacity, helping connect more athletes with disabilities and their families to resources across Wisconsin.

This project, Enhancing Communication to Comprehensively Support Youth Substance Use Prevention, led by Community Action for Health Living (CAHL) aimed to develop a communications strategy to promote and expand outreach, enhance prevention efforts and support a more comprehensive approach to youth substance use and mental health across Northeast Wisconsin.

In this project, the Brain Center of Green Bay, Inc. will engage in a strategic planning process to explore avenues of funding diversification and new community outreach and education programs that ensure healthy brain aging for older adults.

This project, Donor and Volunteer Management Software Upgrade, led by 6:8, Inc. strengthened the organization’s ability to support individuals and families experiencing poverty in the Sauk Prairie area by modernizing its operational infrastructure. Through the implementation of an integrated donor, volunteer, communications and fundraising system, 6:8 replaced multiple disconnected platforms with a centralized solution that streamlined processes, improved data management, and enhanced engagement with donors and volunteers.