Thirteen Wisconsin-based community organizations were awarded grants from the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP) at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) through its Community Impact Grant Program.
The new awards support innovative community-led approaches to advance health for all by addressing a broad range of critical issues that impact health, including economic stability, education, health care access, literacy, mental health, social connection and more.
“WPP is committed to a healthier Wisconsin. Through the Community Impact Grant Program, WPP invests considerable resources in trusted programs and ideas brought forth directly from the communities we serve,” said Amy Kind, MD, PhD, associate dean for social health sciences and programs at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and executive director, Wisconsin Partnership Program.
“This year’s awards reach broadly across the state to support both rural and urban-based community organizations as well as academic partnerships from many Wisconsin campuses. By supporting these wide-scale collaborations and innovative approaches to health improvement, we build partnerships, grow capacity and strive to make a meaningful impact on health and well-being in Wisconsin.”
The Community Impact Grant Program provides two levels of grant funding designed to support community partnership initiatives to improve health across Wisconsin communities:
Building Capacity for Fall Prevention Programs for Spanish-speaking Older Adults through Community Engagement and Education
Organization: Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging Inc.
Academic Partner: Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM, assistant professor, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
Developing Innovations in Mental and Behavioral Health: Confronting the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Organization: Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association
Academic Partner: Jeneile Luebke, PhD, RN, assistant professor, UW–Madison School of Nursing
Hmong Wellness Connection Initiative
Organization: Hmong Cultural and Community Center
Academic Partner: Vincent Her, PhD, associate professor, UW-La Crosse, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Learning and Inspiring Futures Together (LIFT)
Organization: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin Inc.
Academic Partner: Shana Schmidt, director of college effectiveness, Chippewa Valley Technical College
Roots and Wings Restorative Resilience Initiative
Organization: Mental Health America
Academic Partner: Courtney Barry, PsyD, associate professor, Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
The Reading for the Future Initiative
Organization: Achieve Brown County Inc.
Accelerating Birth Equity in Wisconsin Through a Community-Based Doula Workforce
Organization: The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness
Academic Partner: Tiffany Green, PhD, associate professor, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, Departments of Population Health Sciences and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Achieving Health Equity for Unhoused Parents and Children in Need of Medical Respite Shelter
Organization: JustDane, Inc. (formerly Madison-area Urban Ministry)
Academic Partner: Pajarita Charles, PhD, MPA, associate professor, UW–Madison School of Social Work
Addressing and Preventing Childhood Trauma in Winnebago County: A Community Schools Approach
Organization: Winnebago County Public Health
Academic Partner: Samantha Larson, PhD, assistant professor, UW-Oshkosh School of Public Affairs and Global Engagement, Public Administration
Bridging Gaps in Perinatal Care: A First Breath Pilot Addressing Substance Use and Mental Health
Organization: Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation, Inc.
Academic Partner: Danielle McCarthy, PhD, professor, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medicine
Designing Pathways to Belonging: Empowering Neurodivergent Youth Through School-Based Creative Technology and Community-Building
Organization: Islands of Brilliance
Academic Partner: Jeana Holt, assistant professor, UW-Milwaukee School of Nursing
Reducing Intimate Partner Violence and Intergenerational Trauma Impacts in Vernon County: A Community-Driven, Systems-Based Public Health Initiative
Organization: County of Vernon
Academic Partner: Sheena Fuglsang, regional health coordinator, UW–Madison Division of Extension
Reducing the Harms of Incarceration on Individual and Community Health
Organization: Nehemiah Community Development Corporation
Academic Partner: Dan Grupe, PhD, research assistant professor, UW–Madison Center for Healthy Minds
View the grant descriptions on WPP’s Funded Projects web page.
The Wisconsin Partnership Program is a grantmaking program within the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health committed to improving health for all through investments in community partnerships, education and research initiatives.
