We are pleased to announce the availability of Health Equity Spark Grants designed to spark community dialogue on the topics of equity, diversity and inclusion. These grants were created to support learning journeys for agencies and grassroot groups such as youth groups, civic and faith organizations within Dodge and Jefferson counties, on topics such as racism, bias and discrimination.

Click here to learn more about this grant opportunity and please help spread the word!

Covid Emergency Response Grants - to support safety net agencies actively meeting basic community needs (including food, shelter, safety, education, health) who are experiencing increased demand or expenses due to the pandemic. Learn more.

Technical Assistance Grants - to support nonprofit and governmental agencies in engaging consulting expertise to evolve agency strategy, operations and fundraising to successfully fulfill the agency’s mission post pandemic. Learn more.

Nonprofit Stabilization Grants - to provide cash flow needed to stabilize nonprofit organizations whose viability is threatened due to the pandemic. Grants can be utilized to support fundraising gaps due to local event cancelations in 2020. They may also support agencies experiencing a significant loss in program and operational revenue due to the pandemic. Learn more.

Community Collaboration Grants - to support collaborative efforts that build a sense of connectedness between people or create/enhance community spaces where individuals can be active together. Learn more.

In 2020, right before the pandemic hit, more than 40 local organizations signed a pledge with Every Child Thrives, committing to adopt trauma-informed practices that help to build community resilience.

One year later it is well known that Covid-19 has been traumatic for many individuals, families and our community as a whole. This makes our collective efforts to build resilience more important than ever.

To introduce the topic of trauma and resilience to staff members of partner organizations, we are pleased to offer an on-demand, 1 hour training video, produced in collaboration with trauma-informed care experts from Jefferson County Human Services. We wish to thank the City of Watertown television station for helping us to produce this video training resource.

Learn about trauma-informed care, access the training video and explore more resources at watertownhealthfoundation.com/traumaandresilience.php.

TalkReadPlay’s FREE Positive Parenting Program offers support for parents of children 0-12 in Dodge and Jefferson counties. The program is designed to help families spend more time learning and growing together, and less time dealing with stress and misbehavior.

Positive Parenting Program providers can work one-on-one with parents to design a plan to meet their family's needs. Click here for a list of topics that can be addressed.

If you are willing to distribute promotional materials to families and/or are interested in hosting a parenting seminar or discussion group for your organization, please email us. For more information and program registration, visit talkreadplaywi.com/parenting.

The Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation (GWCHF) is pleased to share our 2020 Impact Report with the community.

Since inception, the Foundation has invested $10 million in Dodge and Jefferson counties to measurably improve child and family health outcomes. Our investments are designed to engage all sectors of our community in working collaboratively to improve determinants of health over the long term. We are committed to health equity, and we are honored to partner with agencies equally committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

We are proud of the progress our communities have made in just four years, and we look forward to continuing to grow our impact together!