Community Impact Capacity Building Grant Examples

Madison Community Foundation awards Community Impact grants to help organizations build their capacity, funding projects ranging from improving space to enhancing fundraising and staff development.  

Omega School

$50,000 development capacity-building grant to increase fundraising efforts, grow the endowment, and enhance Omega School’s ability to serve as a permanent community resource. Includes funding to develop and deliver online tutoring and increase the virtual GED Academy.

Food Pantry Expansion

$50,000 to help Badger Prairie Needs Network, Middleton Outreach Ministry, The River Food Pantry and Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the four largest pantries in Dane County, pivot during COIVD to provide outdoor food distribution in all seasons. Funding provided protection against the elements for staff, volunteers, clients and the food itself, enabling each pantry to add outdoor structures and heating.

Helping Nonprofits Access COVID-19 Stimulus Funds

Nonprofits were hard hit when the pandemic shut down the economy, losing revenue from admissions, classes and donations. MCF provided $50,000 to help Dane County nonprofits learn about and apply for federal, state and private COVID stimulus funds, submit compelling and successful loan applications, and leverage millions of dollars in funding. More than 170 organizations participated in webinars, small group sessions and one-on-one work with Scholz Nonprofit Law, leveraging this investment into more than $27 million in forgivable government loans.

Urban Triage

$25,000 to help build out a new, culturally sound, welcoming, creative space on Madison’s South Side to engage and support Black youth, families and other vulnerable populations. The new space will greatly increase their training capacity, accommodate community events, offer online and on-site teaching, and provide resources and efficiencies for entrepreneurial businesses.

Capital City Theatre

$15,000 to build the fundraising capacity of the musical theater company.

Parents Advocating Student Success (P.A.S.S.)

$30,000 for a 1:2 matching campaign to grow the Verona Area Core Knowledge Charter School’s endowment fund.

Community Shares of Wisconsin

$30,000 to help pilot “The Big Share,” a daylong giving day that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for seventy member organizations each year and increases the visibility of Community Shares and the development capacity of its members.

YWCA Madison

$76,500 for Amplify Madison, building skills, voice, and visibility for women in the local nonprofit community using a three-tiered approach: professional development, peer learning, and voice and visibility amplification.

Sunshine Place

$50,000 to expand its facilities and provide more social services, including increased food pantry and product distribution and improved safety and accessibility for volunteers.

Just Dane

$25,000 to increase development staff capacity, implement a long-range development plan, enhance donor relationships, and increase funding from individual, corporate and foundation sources.