Congratulations to each of the single-year grant awardees! We are thrilled to be investing $1.5 million in one-year grants to organizations that are planning or building capacity for collaborative systems change initiatives. These awards focus in one or more of the priority areas for this cycle: Early Care and Education (ages birth to 5), Housing Access, Mental Health, and Substance Use.
Apricity aims to provide people with substance use disorders (SUD) continuous, connected care before, during, and after residential treatment, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. Through this project, Apricity hopes to increase clients’ average number of days in treatment, as a longer time in treatment improves client outcomes. In addition, Apricity hopes to increase the number of people utilizing certified Recovery Coaching services through its Peer Recovery Programs, which provide crucial support during the wait time to enter treatment, during treatment, and after exiting a treatment program, as well as for people in crisis who choose not to enter treatment for SUD.
CAP Services Mental Health Navigation
CAP Services Mental Health Navigation seeks to build cross-sector capacity in Waupaca County to address the root causes of mental health and substance use challenges. Through planning and collaboration among healthcare, schools, and community partners, this project will develop a shared framework for coordinated, equitable systems of care.
Diverse & Resilient will focus on capacity building efforts to shift housing and mental health systems in northeast Wisconsin to ensure equitable access and service delivery for LGBTQ+ survivors of violence. This project will strengthen relationships with new and existing community partners to develop stronger feedback loops for LGBTQ+ survivors seeking housing and mental health resources and equip providers with practical tools for change.
Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative
Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative will be continuing to support and expand Community Living Room, a nonclinical mutually supportive listening space that works to break down all the barriers people often find in seeking support for emotional distress, crisis, mental health, and substance use. Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative will also work collaboratively in community to build a culture of connection that reduces isolation and loneliness through training, advocacy, and coalition building.
Encompass Early Education and Care, Inc.
Encompass Early Education and Care’s Rooted in Change project will focus on planning and capacity-building efforts that strengthen cross-sector relationships among child care providers, family advocates, and community partners while facilitating family- and educator-led dialogue. This effort’s goal is to deepen understanding of the barriers and root causes affecting family stability—such as trauma, access to resources, and trust in systems—while exploring how early education providers can serve as conduits for community connection and support.
First 5 Fox Valley will strengthen efforts to align work of community partners in a collaborative way rather than the competitive, siloed approach currently experienced by service providers. Addressing the need for a more coordinated early childhood system will be centered in family voice and grounded in a collective impact model.
Fox Valley Literacy aims to deepen partnerships with housing and mental health organizations, two sectors where language access is urgently needed. This project will focus on coalition development, relationship-building with key providers, and the launch of a community-led Pathfinder Project focused on inclusive practices.
HANDS’ project centers on planning and capacity building efforts among Hmong nonprofits, community members, and health professionals to establish a Mental Health Coalition. The goal is to better understand the underlying causes of the stigma surrounding mental health and to set measurable objectives aimed at reducing self-harm, increasing access to and use of mental health services, and increasing awareness within the community.
Harbor House Domestic & Sexual Violence Programs
Harbor House’s project will focus on dismantling barriers to affordable housing and capacity building initiatives to reduce homelessness in the Fox Valley and surrounding Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago counties. Harbor House’s goal is to bridge the gaps and improve coordination between housing systems: shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing with family health services, behavioral health, child welfare and employment systems to create a community free from domestic and sexual violence.
Helios Heuristic’s initiative aims to build capacity by a hiring a systems change coordinator, working with Medical College of Wisconsin on impact outcomes and policy recommendations, and providing advanced culturally responsive training. This project will build the foundation toward a Recovery Oriented Systems of Care that prioritize ongoing, person-centered recovery supports in Outagamie, Winnebago, and surrounding counties—particularly in rural areas.
Kids Forward aims to paint a clearer picture of the unique intersections of rural and immigrant lived experience related to child care policies by listening to and deepening relationships with local organizations serving these populations. Through these learnings, Kids Forward will build an advocacy committee of local parents and caregivers, ensuring that Northeast WI families are heard and reflected in the state’s early care and education programs, policies, and services.
Libertas Treatment Center, a department of HSHS St. Vincent Hospital
Libertas Treatment Center aims to complete a feasibility study to inform collaborative launch of a substance use disorder (SUD) program in Brown County to assist with re-entry of incarcerated individuals. This project’s goals include establishing a core team to lead implementation and serve as an engaged and excited stakeholder/steering committee, developing a model of care/intervention focusing on key intercepts and known interventions with an outline of major implementation steps and probable barriers, and creating a realistic outline of potential braided funding sources.
Loving The Skin I’m In’s project will focus on expanding conversations around trauma in youth of color with a goal is to engage how the schools, the county foster care, CPS services, and community organizations can come together and support youth of color. The conversations will assess the readiness of the community to come together and create systems change for youth of color in Brown County.
N.E.W. Mental Health Connection
N.E.W. Mental Health Connection’s Connected Fox Valley project’s mission is to create a community where all residents have meaningful opportunities for connection, regardless of age, identity, ability, or geography. Social connectedness is a critical protective factor for mental health, suicide prevention, and overall well-being, and is particularly vital for populations experiencing health disparities. This effort’s goals include developing recommendations and vetted strategies into careful and intentional planning and pilot implementation. With our collaborative partners, we will evaluate and adapt interventions throughout to improve social connection in Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties.
Our project addresses the housing access priority area by advancing inclusive, affordable housing options for adults with autism, intellectual, and developmental disabilities across Northeast Wisconsin. Through this planning and capacity-building phase, we will fund a regional Housing Market Analysis to identify gaps, opportunities, and best practices for developing neuro-inclusive housing. The analysis will engage community, government, and workforce partners to build shared understanding and actionable data. Findings will serve as the foundation for systems-level change by aligning stakeholders and funding streams toward scalable housing solutions that integrate supportive services, workforce participation, and community inclusion. This effort will position Northeast Wisconsin as a regional leader in neuro-inclusive housing development.
Rawhide’s Youth Co-occurring Substance Use program is a trauma-informed, youth-centered residential model that treats substance use by addressing the underlying mental health challenges that drive it. This initiative disrupts the long-standing silos between mental health and substance use treatment and builds a coordinated, aligned continuum of care for adolescents.
Reach Counseling’s project will focus on planning and capacity building efforts to strengthen a joint, 24/7 trauma-informed sexual assault response system across Winnebago, Outagamie, and Calumet counties. Led collaboratively by Reach Counseling and Harbor House, this initiative responds to the need for consistent, trauma-specific support during and after these exams. This project’s aims include volunteer recruitment, cross-agency coordination, and survivor-informed planning to build a sustainable, community-driven model of care.
RISE TOGETHER’s project focuses on strengthening systems that support youth mental health and substance use prevention through peer-led connection and community-based programming. This project will strengthen internal structures, deepen partnerships, and expand access to safe spaces such as the RISE Hangout in Appleton and the Fox Valley. This work will advance equity and long-term well-being by creating sustainable pathways for youth leadership, collaboration, and prevention across Northeast Wisconsin.
SEPO, a relationship-based organization with deep roots among the Black, Brown, African, Immigrant, and Refugee (BBAIR) community in Oshkosh, supports BBAIR families to navigate institutional barriers, co-create solutions, and build coalitions to drive systemic change. SEPO’s REALignment Initiative will address two deeply interconnected systems (education and housing) that shape the mental health of BBAIR families in Oshkosh by evolving policies, practices, and accountability structures while centering BBAIR voices and lived experiences to drive reforms that heal and protect rather than retraumatize.
UW Oshkosh Head Start’s project will provide access to transitional Mental Health services onsite without typical barriers. By establishing this preventative model and building resiliency within the children and families who desperately need the mental health support, UWO Head Start is better able to achieve their mission of working together with children, families, staff and community to facilitate learning and support growth which empowers all partners in shaping their future.
VPI’s project focuses on planning and capacity building within the early care and education system to address the exclusion of children with disabilities from traditional child care settings. Centered in the Fox Cities, this initiative aims to co-design a sustainable, inclusive child care model by engaging families, providers, and cross-sector partners. Through this planning process, we will complete a feasibility study and business plan, explore regulatory pathways, and develop funding strategies that support long-term implementation. This work will deepen our regional understanding of the systemic barriers to inclusive care and position us to advance sustainable, community-driven solutions that can be replicated across Northeast Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Doulas Association (WDA)’s maternal mental health and early care initiative focused on strengthening the infrastructure that supports doulas—non-clinical providers who serve as trusted guides for birthing families across Northeast Wisconsin. This project will invest in regional leadership, cross-sector coordination, and systems alignment to improve access to doula care in maternity care deserts spanning Brown County and ten surrounding counties, including the Oneida Nation. By building capacity, WDA will advance its systems change work to ensure doula support is recognized, sustainable, and accessible to families who need it most.
Youth Go’s Beyond Our Walls initiative will create a coalition to address the systemic lack of safe and affirming spaces for all youth. This project will engage youth and community partners to develop a collaborative strategy for building a community-wide system of care and addressing the root causes of youth social isolation. The goal is to move beyond providing a single safe space and foster a broader community culture that supports and affirms all young people, particularly those from marginalized groups.