Dane County Announces Local Non-Profit Recipients of $5 Million Covid-19 Relief Grant Program Aiding Underserved Communities

September 02, 2021
Ariana Vruwink, 608-267-8823
County Executive

Today, County Executive Joe Parisi announced the recipients of Dane County’s $5 million Covid-19 Non-Profit Relief Grant Program, created to help local organizations recover from the pandemic. The program will provide relief to local, human service focused non-profit organizations to bolster their service delivery efforts to the Dane County community.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, local non-profits have worked tirelessly to support our community and deliver services under unprecedented circumstances,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “These grants will help our local non-profits recover from the impacts of the ongoing pandemic and boost their ability to support underserved communities. We congratulate the recipients and thank them for their commitment to serve the Dane County community.”

The program, created with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan, will allocate one-time grants to 66 Dane County non-profit agencies to bolster their efforts to meet client service and community needs impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Only Dane County non-profit agencies providing service to underserved communities were eligible to apply for this grant opportunity. The grant design reflected the need to institute supports quickly and included flexibility to address the needs of individual non-profit agencies.

Allowable grant activities include the following:

  • Expansion of, or needed adaptation to, any current operating expenses in order meet emerging client service needs or opportunities in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. Expansion of staffing or supports with grant funds would end following the grant period.
  • Permanent housing costs not covered by Emergency Rental Assistance funds such as move-in costs and meeting household needs, including purchase of furniture.
  • Resource linkage or navigation—activities designed to connect individuals and families to services and/or resources.
  • Food security activities—activities designed to address food insecurity and support food pantries and other local food resources in low-income areas.
  • Direct service materials and supplies—purchase of agency supplies to meet direct service needs.
  • Basic needs allocations for clients to help promote safety and wellbeing.

To impact the greatest number of low income people in the community, the decision was made to spread the dollars among applications that met the eligibility criteria. 66 requests for $5 million were funded, ranging from $50,000 to $250,301. Approximately 125,000 individuals in the community will be served. Agencies receiving awards on average serve a population that is 87% low income.

Priority was given to smaller, emerging agencies serving low income communities/individuals, who did not receive prior Covid relief. The impact ranges from meeting the basic needs of families, ensuring food security and housing support, bolstering mental health and AODA agency capacity, and enhancing programs serving youth, people with disabilities, and older adults. Many BIPOC led organizations are receiving funding. A number of programs will serve the Black, Latinx, and Southeast Asian communities most impacted by Covid.

Covid-19 Non-Profit Relief Grant Program Recipients Include:

  1. SSM Health at Home
    $75,000
    Focus: meals for seniors
  2. Community Organizations Promoting the Arts
    $50,000
    Focus: youth support
  3. Sunny Side Development, Ltd
    $50,000
    Focus: utility support
  4. Community Agency Bridging the Gap
    $150,000
    Focus: family support
  5. Operation Straighten-Up
    $50,000
    Focus: basic needs / seniors
  6. EOTO Culturally Rooted
    $150,000
    Focus: linkage / mental health
  7. YAFA: Yoga Accessible for All
    $65,000
    Focus: mental health impacts
  8. North Eastside Youth Basketball
    $50,000
    Focus: youth support
  9. MACH OneHealth
    $150,000
    Focus: housing support
  10. Occupy Madison, Inc.
    $150,000
    Focus: housing support
  11. Open Doors For Refugees
    $60,000
  12. Root To Rise, Inc.
    $150,000
    Focus: academic support
  13. Madison Area Community Land Trust
    $150,000
    Focus: sustainable housing
  14. Families Back to the Table, Inc.
    $150,000
    Focus: food security
  15. Allied Wellness Center
    $70,000
  16. Connecting The Dots with Mattie Inc.
    $150,000
    Focus: housing impact
  17. Extended Hands Pantry
    $80,000
    Focus: food distribution
  18. Autism Society of South Central Wisconsin
    $50,000
    Focus: client linkage / support
  19. Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: transportation needs
  20. FOSTER of Dane County, Inc.
    $91,435
    Focus: basic needs
  21. McFarland Youth Center
    $50,000
    Focus: youth support
  22. The Arc-Dane County
    $65,000
    Focus: support for isolated IDD adults
  23. Southeast Asian Healing Center
    $150,000
    Focus: mental health in Hmong community
  24. The Hmong Institute
    $250,301
    Focus: basic needs, transportation, linkage, etc. for Southeast Asian community
  25. Progress Center for Black Women
    $150,000
    Focus: basic needs, support for BIPOC women
  26. Friends of Stoughton Area Youth Center
    $65,000
    Focus: youth support
  27. JFMJ Academy, Inc.
    $150,000
    Focus: basic needs
  28. Neighborhood House Community Center
    $55,000
    Focus: food security, basic needs
  29. CEOs of Tomorrow, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: youth support
  30. Deerfield Community Center, Inc.
    $65,000
    Focus: basic needs / youth support
  31. Omega School, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: virtual learning
  32. Elver Park Neighborhood Center, operated by Wisconsin Youth Company
    $50,000
    Focus: youth support
  33. 100 Black Men of Madison, Inc.
    $78,424
    Focus: basic needs / youth support
  34. Encore Studio for the Performing Arts, Inc.
    $75,000
    Focus: disability support
  35. Living Our Visions, Inc.
    $69,540
    Focus: support for Latinx community
  36. Kennedy Heights Community Center
    $55,900
    Focus: basic needs
  37. Outreach, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: basic needs / seniors
  38. Affordable Dental Care Inc.
    $64,700
    Focus: health support
  39. More Smiles Wisconsin, Inc.
    $64,700
    Focus: health support
  40. Latino Academy of Workforce Development
    $150,000
    Focus: basic needs, translation, linkage for Latinx community
  41. Project Home
    $50,000
    Focus: basic needs
  42. Forward Learning Youth and Young Adults
    $50,000
    Focus: basic needs, linkage, mental health support
  43. Tenant Resource Center
    $50,000
    Focus: housing impact
  44. Jessie Crawford Recovery Center
    $50,000
    Focus: AODA support
  45. Big Oak Child Care Center
    $50,000
    Focus: childcare
  46. Families and Schools Together, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: family support
  47. The Rainbow Project, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: safety supplies, mental health support
  48. Bayview Foundation
    $50,000
    Focus: support Hmong community
  49. Middleton Outreach Ministry
    $50,000
    Focus: housing, basic needs, food
  50. Movin' Out, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: housing stability for the disabled
  51. Chrysalis
    $50,000
    Focus: mental health support
  52. Literacy Network
    $50,000
    Focus: community resources
  53. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
    $50,000
    Focus: youth support
  54. Madison-Area Urban Ministry d/b/a JustDane
    $50,000
    Focus: resource navigation / family support
  55. The Road Home Dane County
    $50,000
    Focus: housing impact
  56. Operation Fresh Start
    $50,000
    Focus: youth employment support
  57. Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
    $50,000
    Focus: safety text line access
  58. Community Action Coalition for South-Central Wisconsin
    $50,000
    Focus: household supplies
  59. Porchlight, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: health, food
  60. YWCA Madison, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: basic needs, transportation
  61. The River Food Pantry
    $50,000
    Focus: food security
  62. Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County
    $50,000
    Focus: outreach, food security
  63. The Salvation Army
    $50,000
    Focus: housing stability
  64. Goodman Community Center
    $50,000
    Focus: older adult services
  65. Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA)
    $50,000
    Focus: childcare
  66. RISE Wisconsin, Inc.
    $50,000
    Focus: mental health impacts