MADISON, Wis., December 27, 2022 – Madison Community Foundation (MCF) today announced $697,500 in grants to 12 nonprofits throughout the Madison area. The grants address opportunities and support organizations in five focus areas: learning, community development, arts and culture, environment, and organizational capacity building. With these 12 new projects, MCF has invested more than $2 million in competitive grants in our community in 2022.
“These organizations are building – new programs, new staff, new facilities.” said Tom Linfield, MCF’s Vice President of Community Impact. “The community is enriched by each new development, from funding business entrepreneurship, to providing arts education in the schools, to strengthening the county’s parks. These nonprofits are helping make the Madison area extraordinary. Madison Community Foundation is proud to invest in these key organizations.”
This year’s grants include four capital campaigns, including two projects that are part of Madison’s “South Side Renaissance.” MCF is happy to continue its support of the many vital organizations in the area, including the Urban League of Greater Madison’s Black Business Hub.
“We are very excited about this donation from the Madison Community Foundation,” shared Ruben Anthony, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Urban League of Greater Madison. “It puts us a step closer to meeting our fundraising goal for the Black Business Hub. It is even more special that this gift comes during the holiday season. This is a true blessing, and we are very thankful for the continued support that we receive from the Madison Community Foundation. Together we are going to continue to change many lives for multiple generations through the work at the Black Business Hub.”
“These grants are possible because of the generosity of thousands of donors who have come together to support our community through MCF’s Community Impact Fund,” explains, Bob Sorge, MCF’s President and CEO. “Their gifts – large and small – collectively provide MCF the capacity to make meaningful grants to these organizations.”
The complete list of grant recipients includes:
Nurturing Education Success Through Mentorship
$30,000 over two years to Black Girl Magic Educational Services to develop a mentor program in schools focused on supporting identity development, leadership skills, cultural representation and mental health awareness for Black girls.
Showcasing Black Artists
$100,000 to The Center for Black Excellence and Culture toward the capital campaign for the Center, which will showcase Black art, history and innovation, and provide leadership development for all ages.
Expanding Accessibility in Natural Spaces
$30,000 to Foundation for Dane County Parks to increase its fundraising capacity, allowing the Foundation to continue to improve accessibility and inclusivity in our parks, and ensure the organization’s long-term infrastructure and success.
Supporting Education for 70th Anniversary Campaign
$37,500 to the Goodman Community Center for its “Goodman Love & Legacy Campaign” to support staff education and skill building around strategic fundraising as the Goodman Center approaches its 70th anniversary.
Creating Organizational Growth
$30,000 to Logan’s Hearts & Smiles to increase staffing and build 200 free accessibility projects for families with disabled children over the next five years.
Promoting Art, History & Culture
$40,000 to the Madison Public Market Foundation to support art at the Public Market, particularly works celebrating Madison’s Indigenous, Black, Hmong and Latinx artists and communities.
Removing Barriers to Books
$40,000 to Madison Reading Project the purchase of a larger, climate-controlled, lift-equipped Big Red Reading Bus, more than doubling its outreach and free book distribution across Dane County.
Building Diversity in the Arts
$35,000 to Madison Youth Choirs for its“Amplifying Every Voice” project to expand participation, remove barriers to entry and increase diversity in the Youth Choirs.
Expanding Capacity of Music Education
$30,000 to the Music Academy of Sun Prairie to create an outreach coordinator position to help expand and develop new culturally responsive programming in the school system.
Growing Development Capacity
$75,000 to Rooted WI to increase staffing and strengthen their communications strategy to improve visibility, access, engagement and overall donor retention.
Accelerating Black Entrepreneurs & Business Education
$150,000 to the Urban League of Greater Madison for the Black Business Hub and the Hub Accelerator Program, which will support and accelerate Black entrepreneurship through courses, grants, loans and increased job opportunities in South Madison.
Strengthening Longevity and Program Reach
$100,000 to Urban Triage to build their endowment. This 1:3 challenge grant will build development infrastructure, hire and train new staff and ensure sustainability of the organization’s many community programs.
