Greater Green Bay Community Foundation awards $292,000 to local nonprofits creating a stronger community


September 13, 2022 – The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation awarded $292,000 to 29 nonprofit organizations serving Brown, Kewaunee, and Oconto counties through the Funds for Greater Green Bay grant program, a collection of funds of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation. These funds support measurable strategies to make a positive impact on the quality of life in Northeast Wisconsin and create a brighter future for all members of our community.

In addition to the Funds for Greater Green Bay, Community Foundation fundholders are invited to co-invest to increase grant dollars and meet the growing needs of our community. In this cycle, donors contributed $76,600 to local nonprofit programs.

Grants are awarded based on a competitive application process which includes review by a grants team of community volunteers. Two grant cycles are offered annually for the Funds for Greater Green Bay. The next deadline for applications is January 11, 2023.

The Summer 2022 grants were awarded to the following organizations and programs:

African Heritage, Incorporated

This 2-year grant will help launch ABLE (Academy of Black Excellence), an initiative to close the educational opportunity, learning, and resource gap to support academic excellence for Black/African American 2nd-8th grade students in the Green Bay Area Public Schools and De Pere School District.

Alpha Phi Alpha Delta Chi Lambda Foundation

Funds will support the Go to High School – Go to College program, which includes seven modules given over the course of a year to 8th, 9th, and 10th graders.

Baird Creek Preservation Foundation

Funding will help bring together education, nature, and art by creating sculptures along the trails that will educate visitors about the living things in the Baird Creek Greenway through representation in art.

 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin

Funding will be used to pilot a small group mentoring program within the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay. Mentors will work with youth who attend Club in a group mentoring setting.

Brain Center of Green Bay

Funds will support technology to increase the Brain Center’s capacity to deliver brain health wellness and disease prevention education in the community.

 Bridge the Gap

Funding will provide support for the Elementary Program at the Green Bay Community Outreach Center, including technological, therapeutic, and educational enhancements.

CASA of Brown County

Grant funding will help sustain the child advocacy program and ongoing efforts to recruit, screen, train, and supervise volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children under court protection. Funding will enable CASA to accept additional appointments.

CP

Funding will be used to replace mechanical lifts and HI-LO tables so clients with disabilities can participate in programming that is critical to meeting their goals for independence and to allow personal care to be administered with respect.

Community Benefit Tree

People experiencing a medical crisis often need to make heart-wrenching financial decisions, when trying to meet their basic needs. Community Benefit Tree empowers these individuals by helping them create realistic budgets, leverage resources, and map out sustainability plans.

Community Services Agency (COMSA)

Funding will support a case management staff member who can meet the growing needs of community members in making strides toward self-sufficiency. Multiple part-time staff and volunteers served these needs since the inception of the organization, and with the growing rates of refugee resettlement in the area, this full-time role is now critical to assist clients.

Ecumenical Partnership for Housing

Funding will support case management, which guides families on their paths to self-sufficiency and is one of the most essential services offered by EPH.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin

Funding will help Feeding America maintain services to pantries and programs, a need that has been amplified as individuals and families have faced higher food prices while the organization’s operating expenses have significantly increased.

Foundations Health & Wholeness

RAYS Youth Services meets youth where they’re at in the community to provide support, resources, and the skills they need to be independent as they transition into adulthood. Funds will build capacity in the Brown County area.

Golden House

To help young adults prevent victimization in their intimate partner relationships, Golden House will provide evidence-based and innovative relationship-building programming. The Prevention Coordinator will help youth and community partners understand the dynamics of abusive relationships and gain skills that encourage healthy relationships.

Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity

This program prepares participants to qualify for the homeownership program. It will assess and identify assistance needed, develop a plan to help people qualify for Habitat for Humanity, and provide information on additional resources.

House of Hope

House of Hope will assist at-risk and homeless youth and families by removing barriers created by past evictions, rental arrears, and other financial hardships that limit or eliminate their ability to access safe, stable housing and gainful employment.

Lakes Country Public Library

Meeting the needs of children in an underserved area of Northern Oconto County is a key part of Lakewood Library’s mission. This funding will support a full-time children’s librarian to steward the ever-growing demand for children’s programs.

Lessons by Lifeguards

This funding will provide swimming lessons taught by volunteer instructors/lifeguards to children from local organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and We All Rise.

 National Railroad Museum

This project will solicit stories and artifacts from the community that will be transformed into an exhibit featuring oral histories, films, and educational programs.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Funding will bring FIELD Edventures to Wequiock and Baird elementary schools. This innovative program works side-by-side with teachers to co-plan and co-teach place-based lessons outdoors, connecting classroom learning with the mental and physical benefits of spending time in nature.

New Community Shelter

The rising costs of housing, food, and other necessities are falling especially hard on lower-income neighbors. Funding will be used to support the shelter’s Community Meal program, providing meals 365 days a year.

Share, Accept, Grow, Encourage (SAGE)

Funding will facilitate a program that partners artists with nonprofits to assist their clients in using the arts to express their personal stories. The organization has partnered with St. John’s Ministries, Safe Shelter, the Engage Program, and Golden House.

The Lakes Community Health Center

Funds will support the Community Health Worker program in Lakewood to assist Oconto County patients in overcoming barriers to wellness. The center will collaborate with internal and external partners to connect rural residents to life-improving services and resources.

The Salvation Army Green Bay

Each year, The Salvation Army serves thousands of people in Green Bay through Basic Needs Programming. Funds will go towards miscellaneous food costs, rent, utility, and gas assistance to those served.

 Unhinged

Funding will support Unhinged, an immersive event, in providing compelling, eye-opening, and original works of art from all disciplines that celebrate the community’s creative culture.

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Cia Siab (Hope) in Wisconsin: A HMoob (Hmong) Story is a traveling exhibit that will celebrate the 50th year of Hmong refugee resettlement in the U.S. It brings together HMoob community voices, scholars, and museum experts to illustrate the historical trauma and resilience of Wisconsin’s HMoob communities.

Violence Intervention Project

Funding will assist with operational support that continues to be needed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. VIP provides services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout Kewaunee County.

 Wello

Wello identifies well-being barriers and supports the implementation of community-led solutions to removing those barriers. Funding will support the hiring of a data analyst and investment in equipment, technology, and training.

Wisconsin Dental Association Foundation

The Mission of Mercy is a two-day dental clinic serving 900+ patients scheduled to take place at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay in June 2023. The program goal is to provide basic oral treatment at no cost to the patient.