Capacity Building Grants Grow Strong Families and Thriving Communities
The Foundation empowers community change leaders with the tools they need to create strong families and thriving communities. We foster transformative change by helping local organizations learn, grow, collaborate, and move their missions further.
The Foundation supported 15 community organizations with over $657,000 in Capacity Building Grants over the past fiscal year. Capacity Building Grants are just one category of Foundation grants that are available year-round to organizations within Dodge and Jefferson Counties.

Capacity Building Grants support an organization's ability to flourish in its mission. This could be through strategic planning, training, learning best practices, research and development, and otherwise growing the ways in which the community is served.
Capacity Building includes strategic planning:

These grants can be used for research and development:

A feasibility study for PATH of Hustisford will help with planning for Pelican Path, a 5-mile multi-use trail.
Capacity Building includes training or certification:

  • Glacial Heritage Development Partnership obtained training to receive HUD certification, which will enable them to offer housing-related one-on-one counseling and group workshops to Jefferson County residents.
  • Early care and education provider Future All Stars Academy received support for additional staff training using the Pyramid Model framework, to support their work with children who have behavioral challenges.
  • A grant to the City of Watertown Police Department supported training for recovering digital files used in the discovery or recovery of child pornography or evidence of child trafficking.
Grants support growth in serving the community:

A Capacity Building Grant supported the Rock River Community Clinic's transition to Federally Qualified Health Center - a challenging but vitally important endeavor that will bring greater financial stability to the organization over the coming years.
Other organizations receiving Capacity Building Grants over the past fiscal year include:
How Can We Support Your Work?
The Foundation provides resources, tools and support to changemakers who work toward measurable improvement in community health. To date, the Foundation has invested more than $34 million in its three strategic, child-focused priorities: Strong Families, Kindergarten Readiness and School Success.

Capacity Building Grants are for agencies looking to advance their missions by developing leadership skills or strengthening organizational efforts.

Community Collaboration Grants provide support for partnerships that enhance community spaces where individuals can be active together.

Health Equity Grants support equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) projects or initiatives focused on removing obstacles to health for populations not well served under current systems and policies. The Foundation recognizes the dignity and value of every person, envisioning thriving communities where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

Proposals must directly support the communities served by the school districts of Dodgeland, Hustisford, Ixonia, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo and Watertown.
 Grants to Support Active Living and Play Spaces
Let's wrap up 2023 with a review of the projects supported with Active Living Grants from the Foundation. Most represent collaborative projects that brought together funding from multiple sources -- "braided funding" that highlights how much we can achieve when we work together.

We were thrilled to provide more than $1.4 million in grants that support spaces where community members can be active together. Many projects focused on making parks more accessible for people with mobility challenges. What a wonderful celebration of positive change being made by community leaders throughout Dodge and Jefferson Counties.
  1. Lion's Park, Hustisford - Pathway at the park
  2. Rock River Park, Johnson Creek - Walking path to launch area
  3. Baseball Diamond, Ixonia - New structure constructed
  4. Village Park, Clyman - Upgrade for the park
  5. Maunesha River Trail, Waterloo - Equipment upgrades in parks located along the trail
  6. Juneau City Park - New fitness court
  7. Lion's Park, Hustisford - Basketball hoop
  8. Fireman's Park, Hustisford - Retaining wall
  9. Lake Mills Commons Park - Upgrades to the park
  10. Bell Park, Johnson Creek - Safe walking path to restrooms
  11. Bentzen Family Town Square, Watertown - Addition of interactive fountain

Two projects remain to be finished: Reeseville will install an inclusive playground for autistic children and Jefferson is working on a new safe and accessible nature walk at Lubahn Park.
A Workspace for Changemakers
Central location.
Outstanding amenities.
Beautiful facility.

The Collective offers great, affordable rates and is a proud incubator space for entrepreneurs and nonprofits.

Call Deb to schedule a tour (920-390-4686) or visit our website to learn more: www.wttncollective.com
Exploring Jefferson County's Changing
Housing Landscape
This 2-page brief from ThriveED analyzes key trends in housing availability, occupancy patterns and rising costs in Jefferson County.

We're grateful for ThriveED's expertise and work to raise awareness and grow deeper understanding of these trends - - which are crucial for developing effective strategies to address current housing challenges.

 Changemakers in Action:
Foundation Partners Doing Great Things
Congratulations to Watertown Regional Medical Center on the recognition received in 2023 for quality care: Leapfrog Grade "A" Hospital, Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital, Healthgrades' Best in-Class Awards for Patient Experience and Patient Safety, Becker's Listing of Great Hospitals, and Becker's list of Top 350 Hospitals for Nursing Communications.

Note that only 83 hospitals nationwide ‒ or 2% of those eligible ‒ received both the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and 2023 the Outstanding Patient Experience Award™.
Foundation Chief Impact Officer Kim Melcher and Rock River Community Clinic CEO Olivia Nichols attended the BUILD conference, which featured over 150 sessions exploring topics including continuous quality improvement, prenatal-to-age-three, data and evaluation, workforce development, finance and investments, and equitable systems-building. We know the learning from the conference will bring ideas, projects and positive impact back to our region.
Child Care Legislation Update: Pending Bills
A package of bills was fast-tracked through the legislative process by the state Assembly, and was the subject of an October Senate committee hearing. The bills face opposition from childcare providers:


The Senate Committee has not taken any action on the bills since. If the bills advance out of the Senate Committee unamended, the Senate could then schedule the bills for a vote of the entire Senate. If passed, the legislative package would then proceed to Governor Tony Evers’ desk. The Governor’s spokesperson already has vocalized concerns with several of these bills. The Senate is not scheduled to be on the floor next for votes until January. 

Thank you to our policy partner Raising Wisconsin for providing this update, which we are cascading to our partners in Dodge and Jefferson Counties.
What We're Reading (click on the links to access)
Research from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development that highlights how key Foundation priorities (access to housing, childcare, transportation) are also critical to a strong workforce

U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health - This inaugural Playbook lays out an initial set of structural actions federal agencies are undertaking to break down these silos and to support equitable health outcomes by improving the social circumstances of individuals and communities. The Playbook sets the stage for agencies and organizations to re-imagine new policies and actions around SDOH, both inside and outside of government. 

Millions of Seniors Struggle to Afford Housing — and it's about to get a Lot Worse - A 4-minute listen from National Public Radio that connects the dots on housing insecurity and the sobering implications for aging Americans
920.390.4000
672 Johnson Street, Suite 300, Watertown WI 53094