Grant Type: Community Grant

The project, Reducing the Harms of Incarceration on Individual and Community Health, led by the Nehemiah Community Development Corporation, is launching Justice for a New Day, a community-informed educational initiative designed to reduce the harmful impacts of incarceration on individual and community health. Developed with leadership from people who have experienced incarceration, the course will educate health care professionals, social workers, educators, policymakers and advocates on how incarceration contributes to poor health outcomes and equip them to respond with empathy and systemic change. Building on Nehemiah’s successful Black History for a New Day model, this project aims to inspire cross-sector collaboration and create a blueprint for more equitable, just and healthy communities. Dan Grupe, PhD, research assistant professor, Center for Healthy Minds, UW–Madison, serves as the academic partner.

The project, Achieving Health Equity for Unhoused Parents and Children in Need of Medical Respite Shelter, led by JustDane, expands the services of Healing House, the nation’s only 24/7 medical respite shelter designed for families experiencing homelessness. By adding health care education, employment support and home visiting by community health workers, the initiative aims to improve access to medical care, enhance health outcomes and promote housing and economic stability for parents and children. The program will also evaluate the impact of medical respite care for families with minor children. Pajarita Charles, PhD, MPA, associate professor, UW–Madison School of Social Work, serves as the academic partner.

This project, Enhancing AHEC Learner Engagement and Community Partnerships Using a CRM, led by Wisconsin Northern Highland Area Health Education Center (AHEC) strengthened its outreach and communications capacity by implementing a centralized customer relationship management system. The project brought together contact data from all seven regional AHEC centers and the Wisconsin AHEC State Program Office, replacing separate spreadsheets with a shared, user-friendly system. Customized workflows and automations now support more coordinated programming, marketing and learner engagement, helping Wisconsin AHEC better connect with health care students and professionals across rural and underserved communities.

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.