August 28, 2024

Watching Past Grants Flourish

MCF’s grantmaking focuses on investing in projects that will help the Madison community thrive now and for generations to come. The nonprofit organizations that receive these grants work diligently to ensure their new initiatives flourish and uplift the community. Below are three examples of exciting projects that MCF has been proud to support and watch flourish in recent years. These achievements highlight the importance of supporting innovative ideas that can make a meaningful difference in Madison.

Madison Reading Project

Madison Reading Project has quickly become integral in Dane County, boosting literacy by providing free books to children and teachers. MCF helped fund Madison Reading Project’s Big Red Reading Bus in 2018 with a $50,000 Community Impact grant. The bus eliminated many barriers by bringing books to kids – at events, in their neighborhoods or at programs run by partner organizations. In 2023, the bus made 167 stops and gave 9,607 books to children.

The Big Red Reading bus gained popularity as it brought exciting and diverse books directly to kids, and soon the bus’s schedule was filling up months in advance. At the same time, the bus’s limitations – only operable in warmer months and lacking a lift to accommodate people with mobility challenges – were becoming more frustrating.

New MRP Bus

Thus, the idea for the Big Red Reading Bus 2.0 was formed! Bus 2.0 would be bigger, climate-controlled and equipped with a wheelchair lift to provide greater accessibility and safer access. The new bus would allow Madison Reading Project to double the number of stops it made each year. MCF was once again on board, awarding Madison Reading Project a $40,000 grant in 2022 toward the new bus, which launched this May.

With the addition of the lift, the new bus has allowed Madison Reading Project to partner with organizations that support children with disabilities, such as GiGi’s Playhouse and Dane County Miracle League.

Dane County Miracle League’s Executive Director, Bill Schultz, summed up the impact this accessibility will have: “I remember, as a child with a disability, seeing a bookmobile in my community and not being able to enter because my handicap prevented me from stepping into the vehicle. Madison Reading Project’s purchase of a fully accessible vehicle provides the opportunity for all children to experience the joy of reading and learning.”

Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival

Harry Whitehorse was a Black Rivers Falls native and proud member of the Ho-Chunk nation. He fell in love with art from an early age and eventually became a master wood sculptor whose larger-than-life sculptures are found throughout Madison.

After his passing in 2017, sculptor Gene Delcourt wanted to find a way to honor Whitehorse, who had been his mentor. Whitehorse had urged Delcourt to participate in European wood sculpture symposiums, so the idea to host a festival in Whitehorse’s honor came naturally.

Sculptor at Harry Whitehorse Fest

Gene worked with Harry’s wife, Deb Whitehorse, to make the festival a reality. The inaugural Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival was supported by a Community Impact grant from MCF. Held in June at San Damiano in Monona, it featured 11 renowned wood sculptors from across the globe. Showcasing a range of unique styles and expertise, these artists worked tirelessly over seven days to transform raw logs into stunning works of art.

The festival also featured traditional Ho-Chunk and indigenous art forms such as weaving, carving, pointing, jewelry making, music and dancing.

“The festival not only honored Harry’s legacy but also fostered a deeper appreciation for the natural and cultural heritage of the Ho-Chunk people,” Deb Whitehorse said. “This will become a biennial event that draws indigenous and international artists and nurtures a profound appreciation for our region’s natural beauty that we look forward to making a community tradition.”

Centro Hispano

For nearly 40 years, Centro Hispano has been a resource for Dane County’s Latinx residents. In the last decade, rapid growth of the Latinx community in Madison has caused Centro to grow too. Both staff size and program participation at Centro tripled since 2011, and it now serves more than 7,500 people and 3,000 families annually. The organization needed more space.

In 2021, MCF provided Centro Hispano a $100,000 grant to help prepare for the capital campaign to finance its new home. In 2022, Centro Hispano purchased a warehouse on Madison’s south side and launched a $20 million capital campaign.

New Centro Building

Centro’s hosted a grand opening of its new home in April 2024.

Centro’s new home keeps both Latinx heritage and the environment at the forefront. Called Calli, an Aztec symbol meaning home that is associated with rest, tranquility and family, the new space is designed to be welcoming, with rooms that flow together to promote collaboration. With Calli, Centro will be able to serve an additional 1,000 community members annually and double the size of its after school and summer programs.

“There is a fluidity to the space and the environment and the sun and the land,” said Karen Menendez Coller, Centro Hispano’s Executive Director. The building is equipped with a solar array, a geothermal HVAC system and an open-air patio with a surrounding garden. “This new building is a continuation of the growth of Centro Hispano, and a place of sanctuary.”

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