Grant Program: Community Impact Grant

Through its grant, Thriving Wisconsin (previously Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA)) and its grant partners focused on improving health outcomes by implementing a tiered model of consultation services delivered by quality coaches and infant mental health (IMH) consultants to address disparities in rates of expulsion among young children in Wisconsin. Beyond direct services, the initiative aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this tiered model in both urban (Milwaukee) and rural (Western Wisconsin) settings, with the goal of informing policy and system-level changes.

This grant ended on July 12, 2024. Lead exposure in children causes serious, adverse health outcomes including brain and nervous system damage and interference with growth, development, learning, behavior, hearing and speech. Racial inequities in lead poisoning persist in Wisconsin as African American children were lead poisoned at 3.5 times the rate of non-Hispanic white children. This project aims to reduce childhood lead poisoning and prenatal exposure to lead and advance health equity through three goals.

This project, Social Service Redesign, led by Sixteenth Street Community Health Center (SSCHC) aimed to improve health outcomes by reducing housing insecurity. SSCHC is Milwaukee’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center and has been addressing the health needs of economically disadvantaged individuals, many of whom face housing issues and homelessness.

This project, Race to Equity Wisconsin, led by Kids Forward Inc. aimed to address racial and ethnic inequities in Wisconsin that were revealed in the 2013 Race to Equity Report. The report revealed that while white individuals in Wisconsin generally fare better than the national average, Black individuals and other communities of color in the state experience lower levels of well-being. This was particularly evident in areas like high school graduation rates, employment and incarceration statistics. The report underscored the need for collective action to address racial equity challenges and foster results-driven change. Kids Forward successfully replicated the Race to Equity model in Rock County, released a comprehensive report addressing disparities and initiated the development of the toolkit for other communities to replicate the model. Over 50 community meetings were conducted, and partnerships were established with Black, Latiné, Asian and ally-led organizations. The project also contributed to internal, local and state policy reforms and recommendations.

This project, Building Tech Skills, Opportunities, Health and Wellness for Returning Citizens, led by YWCA Madison, Inc., aimed to support citizens returning to their communities post-incarceration by providing technology skill development, employment training and networking opportunities critical for achieving economic stability while fostering healing and dignity. Providing access to career growth opportunities and increasing long-term earning potential while addressing the diversity gap in the tech industry by helping to provide qualified candidates to area employers was a critical component of this grant.

This project, entitled Biehl Bridges to Recovery “Advancing Health Equity through Economic Stabilization within the Recovery Community”, was led by Marinette County Group Home Association and expanded the Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) model in Marinette County and across Wisconsin to address substance use challenges and employment barriers for individuals in recovery. Through employer training and direct support services, the initiative connected individuals to sustainable employment and recovery resources while building a more coordinated, recovery-oriented system of care.