-- Addition of new planning grants encourage development of future projects -- July 13, 2010, GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation has continued major funding of collaborative community initiatives and launched a pilot program to invest in the development of future projects through the Basic Needs Giving Partnership this year. The grants total nearly $250,000. “The projects we continue to support have had an impact in our community,” commented Community Foundation President David Pamperin, “and our new planning grants will help area organizations develop ideas that may have a profound impact in addressing our community’s basic needs in the future.”Funding of major collaborative projects The M.O.R.E. program, a collaborative effort lead by American Foundation of Counseling Services, will receive $100,000 for their work in the next year. This is the third year of a three year grant for this program. The M.O.R.E. program (Mental Health Outreach Expansion) is a mental health network dedicated to helping persons end their homelessness and recover from the harmful effects of domestic violence by providing on-site services for chronic and acute mental health problems at key shelter and clinic sites throughout Green Bay. The collaborative partners include: American Foundation of Counseling Services, New Community Shelter, House of Hope, St. John’s Homeless Shelter, Golden House, N.E.W. Community Clinic and Bellin Psychiatric. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) and the Brown County Oral Health Partnership will receive $50,000 towards the Dental Service Expansion Project. This is the third year of a three year grant. The project is designed to increase access to dental care for children and adults who are on Medical Assistance or uninsured. Last year, over 2,000 patient visits were completed through the program. NWTC is the site of a Dental Clinic offering expanded restorative care services for adult and will be the site of the primary summer program offering dental services for children in collaboration with the Brown County Oral Health Partnership. The Child Advocacy Center (CAC) has also been supported by the Basic Needs Giving Partnership and is tentatively slated to receive $75,000 in fall, 2010. The CAC is child-friendly, home-like facility where all agencies involved in child abuse cases work together to help children heal with assisting in the investigation and prosecution of these cases. The CAC will benefit children by reducing the trauma associated with child abuse, provide for greater immediate and long-term healing, and prevent future abuse. The collaborative partners in the project include Family Service of N.E. Wisconsin, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Brown County Human Services, the Green Bay Police Department, the Brown County Sheriff's Dept, the Brown County District Attorney's Office and Prevea Health Systems.
Grants to fund planning of collaborative projectsThis year, in addition to continuing funding of collaborative projects, the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation offered planning grants to provide funding to teams of local non-profits as they explore and plan for the launch of a collaborative project. “We recognize that addressing community needs efficiently and with innovation takes not only creativity and passion, but also resources,” commented Vice President of Programs Martha Ahrendt. “We believe planning grants to local non-profits will encourage in-depth planning and research that will lay the groundwork for future projects effectively addressing our Northeast Wisconsin community’s pressing basic needs.” Ahrendt said that the award of planning grants does not ensure later funding of a given collaborative project by the Community Foundation. A group of organizations that serve the elderly, spearheaded by the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Brown County, will receive $12,000 to help develop a program to assure medication management for high risk populations. Falls are a major health problem among older adults, and fall-related injuries often reduce mobility and independence. Through a multi-factorial approach, including strengthening exercises, vision screenings, environmental and behavioral home safety and regular medication reviews, falls can be prevented. Recognizing the importance of medication management and compliance as it relates to preventing falls, the Coalition Committee has identified the need to explore current models and best practices that can be modified for use in Brown County. The collaborative partners include the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Brown County, Aurora Health Care, Brown County Human Services, Streu's Pharmacy, UW Madison School of Pharmacy, NWTC and UWGB nursing students, and other partners. The Alliance for Extended Learning (AEL), consisting of the Boys and Girls Club, the Greater Green Bay YMCA and the Green Bay Area Public School District, will receive $10,000 to conduct an Access and Sustainability Planning Process that will facilitate the creation of a permanent Out of School Time Coalition (OST). The coalition, which will consist of a number of local non-profits who provide outside school time activities, will establish a coherent, shared infrastructure designed to support, coordinate, and sustain learning opportunities outside of school hours for children and youth city-wide.
The Basic Needs Giving PartnershipThe Basic Needs Giving Partnership provides assistance to established non-profit organizations that have a proven record of success in maintaining solid, critical programs that address the root causes of poverty and prevent persons in episodic crisis from becoming persons of chronic need. The Basic Needs Giving Partnership brings together charitable resources from the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs within the Community Foundation, the J.J. Keller Foundation and other partner donors. Proceeds from the U.S. Oil Golf Open help fund the Basic Needs Giving Partnership, and the J.J. Keller Foundation matches the resulting grant-making budget. This year’s U.S. Oil Open Golf Outing will be held on Wednesday, August 11 at five area golf courses. All proceeds will be donated for area basic needs. The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, one of three area community foundations to receive the funds, is responsible for determining how the funds are distributed.About the Greater Green Bay Community FoundationEstablished in 1991, the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that manages more than 600 funds, and distributes grants to between 400 and 500 nonprofits each year. Community Foundation grants provide funding for programs and services that improve the quality of life in Northeast Wisconsin, supporting human services, education, arts and culture, the environment, and more. Our mission is to inspire and encourage charitable giving in Northeast Wisconsin, by connecting people who care with solutions that strengthen our community.