The following are examples of General Fund grants made since Summer 2009. Information about these and other grants can be found in our Annual Reports.
1st Community Grant Making
On April 10, 2010 Wisconsin Community Fund held the very first Community Grant Making meeting. In one day, 24 people gathered and
- shared information, technical assistance, and resources;
- built relationships, allies, and coalitions;
- developed and submitted grant proposals;
- raised $3000 to add to the $7000 already available for grants;
- and, most importantly, negotiated grant allocation decisions as a group.
Participants were primarily grant-seekers, activists, donors, and Fund staff and Board Directors. This meeting had a dual purpose. One, provide grants and other resources to grassroots progressive social change groups. Two, evaluate the grant program for future consideration. Thus, in addition to board and staff, we invited groups that received a grant or site visit from Wisconsin Community Fund in the past two years and donor volunteers who showed interest. The majority of participants were social change activists, consistent with our commitment to activist-decided grants for Change, Not Charity™.
To learn more about Community Grantmaking in April 2010, download the spotlight article from "Snap Shots and Spotlights: 30 Years of Progressive Growth at the Funding Exchange," compiled and designed by FEX Intern Sarah Taveras.
Every group that requested a grant received one, seven groups in total, including a coalition formed during the meeting. A total of $10,000 in grants was awarded to:
Grassroots Leadership College, Madison Area, $1500
Funding for this project will cover the costs of interpreting, childcare, and registration materials.
Group Description:Grassroots leadership college is a training program to help the Madison area residents improve the qauility of their neighborhodds and communities. They support developing grassroots leaders by providing the opportunity to build skills and relationships in a supportive and challenging environment.
Wise Women Gathering Place, Northeastern Wisconsin, especially Native American Communities, $1350
Funding for this project will cover participation costs to certify 10 trainees in ToP Facilitation.
Group Description: Wise Women Gathering Place provides women and their families with information, advocacy, and referrals regarding health problems, treatment options, and the accompanying benefits and risk enabling them to make informed choices.
Crawford Stewardship Project, Crawford County and Statewide, $1500
Funding for this project will cover the cost of a staff organizer position for Wisconsin Rural Sustainable Network, a statewide coalition of organizations that resist concentrated feeding operations (CAFOs).
Group Description:Crawford Stewardship Project works to protect the environment of Crawford County from threats such as those posed by CAFOs and to promote sustainable land use, local control of natural resources, and environmental justice.
Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project, Statewide, $480
Funding for this project will pay for the registration fees and mileage to send two Apprentice Organizer graduates to two of the Grassroots Leadership College's "Grassroot Forums" for continue community-building/professional development
Group Description: Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project works to increase the number, diversity, and skills of trained organizers working in the state for social, economic, racial, and environmental justice.
The People's Coalition for Liberation
Freedom, Inc, Dane County, $1723
Funding for this project will be used for general programming expenses and campaign support.
Group Description:Freedom, Inc. challenges the root causes of violence, poverty, racism, and discrimination in low-income communities. The people who are most affected by these issues must have voice, power, resources, and choice, in order for true social change to happen.
Operation Welcome Home, Madison, $1723
Funding for this project will be used to support homeless families liberating vacant, foreclosed houses, low-income families being protected from eviction from public housing, and all those who engage in civil disobedience to demand housing as a human right as part of the national Take Back the Land movement.
Group Description: Operation Welcome Home organizes homeless people and educates the community to address root causes of homelessness and the criminalization of homelessness.
Uhuru Family Initiative, Madison and Milwaukee, $1723
Funding for this project will go towards the implementation of UFI's "Know Your Rights" program.
Group Description: The Uhuru Family Initiative's mission is to unite community members, activists, organizer, formerly incarcerated men and women, children, Africans (whom immigrated from continental Africa), and concerned citizens who strive to share their common truths while creating culturally transformational opportunities focused on creating leadership and organizational structure within the Black community.
34th General Fund Grantees
Crawford Stewardship Project - Gays Mills – Environment - $8,000
Funding for General Operating Expenses will be used to provide salary for a CSP part time staff position.
Group description: The Crawford Stewardship Project protects the environment of Crawford County from threats such as those posed by Confined Animal Feeding Operations and promotes sustainable land use, local control of natural resources and environmental justice.
Equality Wisconsin Fund - Milwaukee - LGBT - $2,000
Funding for this Project supports an organizer to develop new gay and non-gay Latino leaders who take concrete action on LGBT issues.
Group description: Equality Wisconsin Fund improves the quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Wisconsin by improving public understanding and public policy through education, organizing, coalition-building, and other charitable activities.
Freedom, Inc – Madison – Immigrants - $7,000.
Funding for this Project will be used to hire a part-time coordinator for the project Southeast Asian Family Unity.
Group description: Freedom, Inc. challenges the root causes of violence, poverty, racism, and discrimination in low-income communities. The people who are most affected by these issues must have voice, power, resources, and choice, in order for true social change to happen.
Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods – Milwaukee - Community Organizing - $7,000
Funding for General Operating Expenses supports staffing costs in engaging community education and organizing on the need to prioritize the creation of new job opportunities for disadvantaged and low-income populations in projects that will receive federal stimulus funding.
Group description: Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods Coalition promotes responsible economic development policy and practice through civic participation and community organizing. They envision equity in regional development and an economy that works for all.
Intercultural Leadership Initiative - Lac du Flambeau – Youth - $7,000
Funding for General Operating Expenses supports supplies, facility rental, food/beverages, service-learning activities, transitional program expenses, After School Leadership Program, and community meetings.
Group description: Intercultural Leadership Initiative serves students in the Lakeland Union High School
District which is fed by four K-8 schools, one predominantly Native American while the other three are all non-native. ILI helps eradicate the racism inherent in this system.
Operation Welcome Home – Madison – Housing - $4,000
Funding for this Project supports theater and media projects to create organizing tools that address discrimination and prejudice around the issue of homelessness.
Group description: Operation Welcome Home organizes homeless people and educates the community to address root causes of homelessness and the criminalization of homelessness.
WI ADAPT – Madison – Disabilities - $4,000
Funding for General Operating Expenses supports the office and staff and pays for member transportation and attendant care.
Group description: WI ADAPT is a national network of disability activists that employ non-violent civil disobedience as part of a social change strategy. They demand an end to exclusionary policies that deprive people with disabilities from meaningful inclusion in American Society.
WI Apprentice Organizers Project – Milwaukee - Community Organizing - $7,000
Funding for General Operating Expenses helps train a new grassroots community organizers by covering direct costs related to training and supporting the wages, taxes, and wellness stipend associated with developing a new organizer from a marginalized community.
Group description: The Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project (AOP) builds a strong culture of grassroots community organizing for social, economic, racial and environmental justice in Wisconsin through a paid apprenticeship program.
Wise Women Gathering Place - Green Bay - Native American - $7,000
Funding for this Project advances coalition building around the "Peace, Respect and Belonging" movement in Oneida., specifically addressing prevention of domestic violence, sexual assault and adolescent pregnancy..
Group description: Wise Women Gathering Place provides women and their families with information, advocacy and referrals regarding health problems, treatment options and the accompanying benefits and risks enabling them to make informed choices.
Worker’s Rights Center – Madison - Worker’s Rights - $7,000
Funding for this Project helps build a statewide coalition in support of comprehensive immigration reform fortified and expanded by educational and outreach efforts with greater media coverage outside of the major metro areas.
Group description: The Worker’s Rights Center gives low-wage workers in South Central Wisconsin a greater voice in the workplace and the community.
2nd Community Grant Making
On February 26, 2011 Wisconsin Community Fund held its 2nd Community Grant Making in Milwaukee. In one day, some 40 people gathered and
- shared information, technical assistance, and resources;
- built relationships, allies, and coalitions;
- developed and submitted grant proposals;
- raised $1,000 to add to the nearly $34,000 already available for grants;
- and, most importantly, negotiated grant allocation decisions as a group.
Participants were primarily grant-seekers, activists, donors, and Fund staff and Board Directors. As was the case with the initial Community Grantmaking event, the gathering served more than one purpose. One, it provided grants and other resources to grassroots progressive social change groups. It also served to forge linkages between activists and donors. In total, 18 groups received grant funds ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars. It also helped to demystify the grantmaking process, especially for first-time grantseekers. The majority of participants were social change activists, consistent with our commitment to activist-decided grants for Change, Not Charity™