WCF - Grants - past grantees

For fiscal year 2002-2003, the Wisconsin Community Fund made grants totalling $ 229,318 to a wide variety of grantees.

WCF's Grants Allocation Committee awarded a total of $50,000 in General Fund Grants to groups working for social justice and social change around Wisconsin. Of that $50,000, $10,000 went to groups working to end the war in Iraq, and $40,000 went to groups addressing racism through Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Trans-gendered rights, community organizing, education, women’s rights and youth.

Details about these General Fund Grants, and the other grants made by WCF for the 2003-2004 fiscal year, are set out below, by grantmaking program.

Action WI Education Fund	Statewide	$3,000
The Action WI Education Fund, Inc. is a statewide organization dedicated to protecting and advancing civil rights for Wisconsin’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens and their families. AWEF carries out this mission through education, advocacy, grassroots organizing, and coalition building. These efforts are designed to educate the general public, sensitize media, promote an active and informed membership, and better inform policy makers on issues of concern to the organization’s members. Funding will be used for statewide efforts on equality for same-sex couples, with particular emphasis among Wisconsin’s communities of color. The work will be throughout Wisconsin. Expenses include staff time, mileage reimbursements for visits and workshops, and the printing of resources focusing on relationship recognition for same sex couples. Action Wisconsin has been involved in work around recognition of same sex couples for most of the last decade. Last year Action Wisconsin conducted workshops in La Crosse and Eau Claire and produced a report of domestic partner benefits for use by employees who seek these benefits from their employers.
African American Children’s Theatre	Milwaukee	$3,000
The mission of AACT is to provide all children of the metro Milwaukee area with opportunities to express their creativity, to nurture their individuality, and to be guided by adults in learning and acquiring leadership and performance skills. AACT is easily accessible to at-risk and disadvantaged youth, particularly from the African American community, and provides them, their families and the local community with a meaningful avenue to honor their diverse heritages, and to experience youth from many backgrounds engaged in positive non-violent activities. AACT is deeply committed to its primary goal of contributing in a significant way to the personal growth and development of all youth who participate. The funds will be used to help pay for AACT’s Youth Leadership Program, “Access and Exposure,” as a residency program in various Milwaukee elementary and middle schools. “Access and Exposure” gives prior training to children before they go on stage; learning how to work in a group, how to present ones self, how to take criticism and being part of a program. In addition the grant funds will be used to help stage “Mama, I Want to Sing” in December 2004.
Community Union	Milwaukee	$7,500
The Community Union seeks to empower minority and low-income central city Milwaukee residents to achieve an equal opportunity to share in the wealth of our society. To achieve this goal, CU’s multi-racial Board and membership work collectively to identify issues and take action on strategies that challenge systemic racial and economic injustices affecting our communities. Grant funds will be used to support the work of addressing issues of racism through the funding of three organizing staff of the Community Union. The organizing will promote grassroots multiracial empowerment focused on the racist economic and social policies in local government and the private sector. Community Union will be challenging Milwaukee Public Schools, the City of Milwaukee, and state agencies to address the critical vacuum of family-supporting jobs for unemployed and under-employed central city residents, who are primarily African-American, Latino and Hmong.
Education for the People	Milwaukee	$6,500
Education for the People! (E4TP) is a grassroots, community-based educational advocacy organization headquartered in Milwaukee. E4TP is a growing political force that addresses issues that have both a local and national impact. E4TP directly opposes attempts to privatize, dismantle and take over the public’s educational institutions. E4TP opposes the cultural transformation of the public schools from that of civility and sustaining democracy to that of a corporate structure that creates an imbalance between the edicts of the market and the needs of the community. E4TP develops and promotes policies, research, and action that improves educational quality for communities of color and the poor. E4TP commits itself to dignified public education for all. Funding will be used for General Operating Expenses including local telephone charges, postage printing, photocopying, rent, childcare fees (during planning and strategy meetings as well as public events to ensure full participation and representation in E4TP’s decision-making), and to help with the salaries of staff at E4TP. E4TP has been involved in challenging injustices associated with the corporate take over of public education. Campaigns are built using coalitions between the African American and Latino communities and in alliance with the white, Asian and Native American communities in Milwaukee.
Freedom, Inc.	Madison	$7,500
Freedom, Inc. began 2 years ago as a Southeast Asian girls support group through a Hmong women’s group. The primary goal was to look at new definitions and solutions to domestic violence against women and children and has since evolved into an organization with a unique approach to ending such violence. Freedom, Inc. seeks through their work to serve Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese and other ethnically diverse groups. The mission is to inspire and empower individuals through leadership development and community organizing that will bring about social, political, cultural, and economic change resulting in the end to violence against women and children. The Grant would be used for funding General Operating Expenses including rent, telephone, fax and office supplies as well as wages for staff. Freedom, Inc provides assistance to ending domestic violence against women and children primarily in the Hmong community in Madison and seeks to serve the Laotian, Cambodian and Vietnamese communities. By connecting different forms of violence Freedom, Inc seeks to organize youth (particularly teen aged girls) by raising awareness of criminal injustice, racial profiling and the injustices within the juvenile justice system.
Intercultural Leadership Initiative of Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council	Lac du Flambeau	$7,500
The mission of the Intercultural Leadership Initiative (ILI) is to reduce racial tensions at Lakeland Union High School by promoting cultural tolerance and understanding through inter-cultural experiences at the grade school level. ILI serves students in the Lakeland Union High School district, which encompasses 800 square miles of Vilas and Oneida Counties in north central Wisconsin, one of the largest school district areas east of the Mississippi River. Within this district are four feeder primary schools that serve students from 10 communities. Three of the schools student population is all white, while the fourth is predominantly Native American. Funds will be used to help fund a new ILI effort to implement a transition program across the greater Lakeland area school district. ILI considers “transition” to include not only transition from grade school to high school, but from schools of one culture in the elementary schools (one school is 95% Native American, the three others are 99% European) to a high school of many cultures. The overall transition program will include: after school programs and summer wilderness trip experiences for incoming 9th grade students as well as professional development for area teaching staff to increase cultural competency.
Madison Area Peace Coalition	Madison	$2,500
Madison Area Peace Coalition formed in response to recent attacks on the U.S. Madison Area Peace Coalition is guided by three unifying principles: Peace and Justice, not War and Revenge; Unity and Respect; and Protect Our Civil Liberties. Madison Area Peace Coalition, a coalition of more than 30 groups, organizes peaceful and lawful responses to the current crisis. Formed just days after 9/11 MAPC has been organizing against war. Some examples are sponsoring public events that drew tens of thousands of people last spring and a lit drop to over 12,000 homes in the Madison area.. The WCF grant will go for MAPC's rent ($200 a month) for the next year.
Peace Education Project of Peace Action WI	Milwaukee	$5,000
Peace Education Project (PEP) is the non-profit tax exempt 501(c)(3) sister organization, of Peace Action Wisconsin. Through campaigns and projects, PEP addresses issues of nuclear weapons and power, U.S. military intervention and the escalating militarism and resulting decline of meeting human needs. The Grant will be used to fund an anti-racism initiative in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood. Funding will go for the four-phase initiative used to confront racism in the Riverwest community through an educational outreach campaign, anti-racism workshops, mediation services and a diversity celebration. A direct mail campaign to reach the Riverwest neighborhood with costs from postage and printing supplies will also be covered by the grant.
Repairers of the Breach	Milwaukee	$5,000
Repairers of the Breach is Milwaukee’s grassroots advocacy and outreach for the homeless. Repairers of the Breach is an organization composed of formerly homeless, at-risk homeless and dedicated Board, staff and volunteers, whose collective purpose is to advocate, address, educate, empower and organize, working for sustainable change with and for the homeless. Repairers of the Breach seeks to end the degrading experience of living in homelessness by changing policies that are detrimental or restrictive to the economically vulnerable. Funding will be used for General Operating Expenses to help defray 2004 operating costs for the Tony Lee Sanctuary Center in Milwaukee. These costs include water for showers, telephone and voicemail, electricity and heating and cooling costs. The Tony Lee Sanctuary Center is the only daytime homeless shelter and is a constituent-governed, multi-resource daytime homeless shelter.
Veterans for Peace, Chapter #25	Madison	$2,500
Veterans for Peace was formed to non-violently exercise a greater responsibility to world peace. We work to increase public awareness of the true costs of war, seek justice for veterans and victims of war, and abolish war as national policy. The grant will be used for printing and copying and expenses incurred for organizing and outreach. The Veterans for Peace have been focusing on military counter-recruiting, which involves contacts with students, teachers, parents and others in the local high school system. Funds will also be used for the expanded efforts in statewide organizing. Veterans for Peace was first organized by returning Viet Nam vets and has been revitalized by the war on Iraq.
*2003-2004 General Fund Grants Total:*		$50,000

Family Farm Defenders	Madison	$500
The grant provided scholarships to young people and family farmers interested in attending the Family Farm Defenders annual meeting held at the White Earth Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. Winona LaDuke, a member of the White Earth Ojibway, and the White Earth Land Recovery Project invited Family Farm Defenders to hold their annual meeting there with the theme being "Defending Food Sovereignty." Plenary panels and workshops dealt with: patenting wild rice, indigenous rights and food security, the dairy crisis, and the role of youth in agriculture. There were also field trips to reservation development initiatives and local organic farms. This was an unprecedented opportunity for Wisconsin folks to learn from and network with indigenous communities and farm/food activists from elsewhere.
Cream City Foundation	Milwaukee	$500
Funding will pay for interpreters for members of the deaf GLBT community at PrideFest in 2004.PrideFest had a revenue shortfall last year and through hard work and fundraising was able to avoid bankruptcy. While they were able to raise a sufficient amount of money for this year's PrideFest, they realized that the deaf GLBT community had needs that were not being met. They have contacted the Wisconsin Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing which will provide interpreters.
Madison-Rafah Sister City Project	Madison	$145
This grant is to help the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project host the "Balata Refugee Camp Installation" tour coming to Madison in May. The exhibition will display the "human face" of the Palestinian people who live their lives as refugees and displaced people. Contacts are being made to bring in high school groups to see the displays. The grant will go for printing and mailing posters and wall materials on which to mount the pictures.
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger	Baraboo	$500
Funding would be used for the professional translation of fact sheets, action alerts and other organizing materials for the Environmental Health initiative. Badger Army Ammunition Plant is seeking an exemption to a federal law that prohibits open burning of waste materials containing more than 50 parts per million of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). PCB concentrations in paint in certain buildings at Badger have been detected as high as 22,000 parts per million more than 400 times the permissible limit set by the EPA. No other military installation in the nation has been allowed to burn PCB-contaminated waste exceeding the federal limit of 50 parts per million.
Concerned Citizens of Newport	Wisconsin Dells	$500
CCN has the opportunity to be one of the sponsors of the photo exhibit "Grassroots Social Change Photography Exhibit" by photo journalist Orin Langelle at Radfest (June 4-6) and then at the Jackie McCauley Gallery at the Social Justice Center. With their commitment to keeping bottling companies from building bottling plants in Wisconsin, CCN has become involved with other global organizations in the fight to stop privatization and commodification of worldwide water.
Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice	Madison	$500
For the first time, WNPJ and Midwest Renewable Energy Association will jointly sponsor a 9.3 mile walk at the fair to raise public awareness of the connection between issues of peace and justice and issues of the environment. We expect the walk to strengthen and broaden WNPJ by adding new members from across Wisconsin and the Midwest. WNPJ will provide dinner to all registered walkers on Saturday, June 19th as they gather at the MREA campsite near Amherst, followed by a Circle of Peace in the evening. On the morning of Sunday, June 20th, WNPJ will provide walkers with breakfast and an "I Walk for Peace and Justice" t-shirt as they start their 9.3 mile trek from the campsite to the MREA fair near Custer. This fair is the largest event of its kind in the country, attracting 100 vendors and 15,000 attendees.
Alliance for Animals	Madison	$500
The grant paid for advertising costs, invitations and equipment rental for a workshop on the link between violence towards animals and violence towards people.
Encore Studio for Performing Arts	Madison	$500
The grant helped pay for performance of "Walk with a Vampire," a play exploring the experiences of a high-functioning yet vulnerable woman with disabilities.
Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund	Milwaukee	$500
Funding was used to defray costs of the Fund's 3rd Annual meeting.
*2003-2004 Special Opportunity Grants Total:*		$4,145

WCF Donor Advised Accounts:

From Frederick Douglass Edhlund Memorial Fund:
Rethinking Schools	Milwaukee	$500
Rethinking Schools is based in Milwaukee and publishes the highly regarded "Rethinking Schools" magazine. The issue, "Rethinking Columbus," has sold almost a half million copies.
IFCO/Pastors for Peace	New York City	$500
Provides an avenue of support for the Cuban people from ordinary Americans. The annual Caravan, made up of school buses and trucks, travels to over 100 US cities picking up computers, and medical and educational aid to the Cuban people.
Centro Legal	Milwaukee	$500
The purpose of Centro Legal is to provide legal representation to the poor and those with limited resources. Additionally, Centro Legal seeks to educate the community regarding legal issues that may affect it.
The Milwaukee Birthing Project	Milwaukee	$500
The Milwaukee Birthing Project rallies the spirit of ordinary people around the issue of women's health and their birth outcomes as a community concern.
Disarm Education Fund	New York City	$500
Seeks to bridge the gap between US policy and its affects on the Cuban health system.
Headwaters Fund for Justice -- Fund of the Sacred Circle	Minneapolis	$10,000
A joint project of the Wisconsin Community Fund and our sister fund Headwaters Fund for Social Justice to benefit Native American tribes throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

From Mildred Harnack Fund: Scholarships for Milwaukee students who work for social justice.
Beloit College Scholarship	Beloit	$1,000
The primary aim at Beloit College is to provide a learning and living environment dedicated to the cultivation of liberally educated persons. Beloit College regards a liberally educated person as one who is at home in the world of ideas and who values learning for its own sake.
UW- Waukesha	Waukesha	$1,000
Based in Waukesha, the largest of the 13 UW Colleges, offers the advantages of both a small, private college and a publicly funded university.

From Dean and Rose Mary Muller:
Books for Kids - Next Door Foundation	Milwaukee	$360
Expands the horizons of children by providing new and interesting experiences that increase educational aptitude, encourage curiosity and enhance understanding of future opportunities.
La Causa, Inc.	Milwaukee	$280
To provide children, youth and families with quality, comprehensive services to nurture healthy family life and enhance community stability.
Meta House	Milwaukee	$710
Meta House is dedicated to providing an environment through which women and children transform their lives. Meta House offers a range of treatment and supportive services that address the effects of substance abuse.
Project Return	Milwaukee	$300
Project Return helps men and women leaving prison make a positive and permanent return to their communities.
Rosalie Manor	Milwaukee	$350
Rosalie Manor started as a home for single, pregnant women and has grown into a social service agency providing services to single mothers, fathers and youth.
Silver Spring Neighborhood Center	Milwaukee	$1,000
Silver Spring Neighborhood Center provides a road to self-sufficiency through helping individuals grow socially, emotionally, and academically to enable them to become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. Preserving and strengthening the family where it is threatened by an unfavorable environment. Strengthening the community by helping residents identify and achieve common goals.
Other:

Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project	Statewide	$24,350
Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project provides training and a support network for a new generation of community organizers.
Crawford County Restorative Justice	Crawford County	$2,000
Crawford County Restorative Justice Provides a safe setting for willing victims and their offenders to meet face-to-face, communicate their stories and feelings, and attempt to repair the harm caused by the crime. Also provides educational programs and training in Restorative Justice for community members and groups.
Fund of the Sacred Circle	Minneapolis	$15,270
To support American Indian grantmaking programs for Minnesota and Wisconsin
Madison-Arcatao Sister City Project	Madison	$500
Provides mutual support for and raises awareness of the common struggle for peace, justice and democracy.
*2003-2004* Donor Advised Grants Total:		$59,620


Social Justice Center	Madison	$3,111
The Social Justice Center is a co-op building that houses a variety of progressive groups, including WCF.
Verna Hill / Dorothy Shannon Fund	Madison	$5,534
A fund that memorializes two outstanding Madison activists.
Workers Independent News Service (WINS)	Madison	$77,464
WINS is an alternative to corporate news and a resource to keep citizens informed about labor issues.
*2003-2004* Grants to Fiscal Sponsored Projects Total:		$86,109

Intercultural Leadership Initiative of Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council	Minocqua	$10,000
(See description in General Fund Grants section above)
Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians - Red Cliff	Bayfield	$10,000
The Red Cliff Band of the Chippewa Tribe's land was signed away to the federal government in the 1850's, and this is the primary reason for the poverty now engulfing the reservation. The grant plays a crucial role by supporting the Red Cliff Land Recovery's initiative entitled "Empowering Our Community Through Land-based Education".
*2003-2004 Fund of the Sacred Circle Total:*		$20,000

General Fund Grants	$ 50,000
Special Opportunity Grants	4,145
Fiscal Sponsorship Grants	86,109
Fund of the Sacred Circle Grants	20,000
Donor Advised Grants	59,620
Memberships & Sponsorships	9,444
Grand Total	$ 229,318


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