Community grant programs
The Wisconsin Partnership Program supports community-led partnerships and collaborations implementing a wide range of initiatives and approaches to improving health and advancing health equity across diverse communities and geographic areas in Wisconsin.
These grants support the implementation of a wide range of initiatives that align with the Wisconsin Idea and work toward the Wisconsin Partnership Program's overarching goal of improving the health and well-being of Wisconsinites.
The Wisconsin Partnership Program currently administers a number of recurring competitive community grant programs, each with a unique approach to improving health and advancing health equity.
- Community Collaboration Grants provide organizations with training and technical assistance to address health inequities stemming from the social determinants of health. To be eligible, organizations must be led by the community impacted by the inequities and face high health equity needs in their community.
- Community Impact Grants support evidence-informed, community partnership initiatives that address the social determinants of health to improve health and advance health equity in Wisconsin’s urban and rural communities.
- Maternal and Child Health Grants support community organizations to strengthen and expand their capacity and community models of care to reduce maternal and infant health disparities with a focus on underserved and marginalized communities, including but not limited to, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, rural, and low-income communities.
Five-Year Plan
Learn more about the Wisconsin Partnership Program’s vision, mission and values as well as its goals and grant-making strategies as described in the 2019-2024 Five-Year Plan.
Community Collaboration Grant Program
Grantees addressing health inequities receive technical assistance and support as they strengthen and expand assets and partnerships, develop community-driven plans, and take action toward systems change.
Please check back for information. Sign up for our e-newsletter for updates.
Community Impact Grant Program
Through the Community Impact Grant Program, the Wisconsin Partnership Program’s Oversight and Advisory Committee (OAC) supports evidence-informed, community partnership initiatives that address the social determinants of health to advance health equity in Wisconsin’s urban and rural communities.
These partnerships require substantial and authentic community leadership to make progress toward sustainability and must be supported by evaluation.
Social determinants of health — economic stability, social and community context, access to health services and health care, neighborhoods and the built environment and education — have a strong and scientifically proven impact on human health and well-being. The structures, policies, systems and environments that guide an individual’s daily lives shape these determinants and thereby enhance or impede health. As such, many of the complex health issues are rooted in structural inequities that affect the health status of disproportionately affected populations.
Proposals must address health inequities and their root causes and be informed and implemented by those who are most affected by these inequities. Community partnerships strengthen our ability to successfully address and influence health and advance health equity.
Funding scope and duration
New in 2023: There are two grant award levels available. Each grant award level has a maximum award amount for up to three years.
- Level One is designed for small to medium sized organizations with annual expenses less than $500,000. An academic partner is not required for Level One, although an existing partnership or goal of academic partnership development during the grant period is preferred.
- Level Two is designed for larger organizations with annual expenses of $500,000 or more, and an academic partner is required.
There are no renewals allowed at the end of the initial award, however organizations may apply for a new award during the annual competitive application process of their final year.
The OAC anticipates allocating up to five awards within each grant level during this grant cycle depending on the availability of funds. During the content review for both the letter of intent and full application stages, reviewers will be assigned to a specific grant level to evaluate similar-sized organizations and award requests.
Please see the Request for Partnerships and Applications Guidelines for details.
| Award amount | Number of awards | Duration | Academic partner required | Organization's annual expenses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level One | up to $250,000 | up to 5 | up to 3 years | no, but preferred* | under $500,000 |
| Level Two | up to $500,000 | up to 5 | up to 3 years | yes | $500,000 or more |
*Academic partners are optional for Level One, however, organizations with established academic partnerships, or who propose the development of an academic partnership within their grant applications, are preferred.
Eligibility
Community Lead Organization
A Community Lead Organization is required and must be a Wisconsin-based, nonprofit, IRS tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, or a tribal or local government entity. The Community Lead Organization is responsible and accountable for leading and advancing the project as specified in the memorandum of understanding. A named employee from the Community Lead Organization must serve in a project specific role and must commit at least 5% FTE directly to the project.
The Community Lead Organization must have the fiscal and administrative capacity to oversee and manage the project.
- Level One: The Community Lead Organizations must have expenses less than $500,000 and are required to provide a copy of their audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements, or a Form 990, issued less than 15 months prior to the letter of intent deadline.
- Level Two: The Community Lead Organization must have expenses exceeding $500,000 annually and is required to provide a copy of their audited financial statements issued less than 15 months prior to the letter of intent deadline.
Community-academic partnership
- Level One: Academic partners are optional, however organizations with established academic partnerships, or who propose the development of an academic partnership within their grant applications are preferred. For this level of grant, there is no requirement regarding the eligibility or FTE contribution of an academic partner. By applying for a Wisconsin Partnership Program grant, applicants agree to the Partnership Program’s terms and conditions.
- Level Two: At least one academic partner is required with relevant expertise who has an established partnership with the Community Lead Organization. Evidence of prior productivity of this community-academic partnership will be considered as a particular strength. Academic partners must contribute at least 5% FTE to the project.
Academic partners must have a paid appointment at one of the University of Wisconsin System’s 13 universities, which includes 26 campuses and a statewide extension, in a faculty or emeritus faculty position or in an academic staff position.
Academic staff must have Principal Investigator (PI) status with an Institutional Review Board (IRB) of record.
Registration and letter of intent guidelines
Fluxx registration deadlines
- Level One: April 27, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.
- Level Two: May 24, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.
New Fluxx users
- New users must register in Fluxx and start a letter of intent no later than the appropriate deadline specified above.
- Both levels must complete the "community organization registration form" under "create your profile." Once reviewed by our team, new users will receive an email with their username and temporary password with instructions to reset their password. Once logged in, click the green "start your Community Impact Grant LOI” button to start your letter of intent.
Existing Fluxx users
- The Community Lead Organization must initially log-in to Fluxx and start a letter of intent no later than the appropriate deadline specified above. Once logged in, click the green “start your Community Impact Grant LOI” button to start your letter of intent.
Letter of intent deadlines
A letter of intent is required.
- Level One: May 3, 2023; 11:59 p.m.
- Level Two: May 31, 2023 by 11:59 p.m.
Application materials and links
2023 Community Impact Grant request for partnerships (pdf)
Start or continue an application
Key dates and deadlines
All dates are 2023 unless specified.
- Request for partnerships released
- Level One: March 27
- Level Two: March 27
- Fluxx registration deadline
- Level One: April 27
- Level Two: May 24
- Letters of intent due
- Level One: May 3
- Level Two: May 31
- Letters of intent reviewed
- Level One: May-June
- Level Two: June-July
- Invite full application
- Level One: July 3
- Level Two: July 31
- Full applications due
- Level One: Aug. 3
- Level Two: Aug. 31
- Full applications reviewed
- Level One: August-September
- Level Two: September-October
- Invite finalist video presentations
- Level One: Oct. 2
- Level Two: N/A
- Videos due to WPP
- Level One: Oct. 18
- Level Two: N/A
- Invite finalist presentations
- Level One: N/A
- Level Two: Oct. 26
- Presentations to OAC
- Level One: N/A
- Level Two: Nov. 28
- OAC decisions made
- Level One: October
- Level Two: December
- Notify finalists of award decisions
- Level One: Nov. 1
- Level Two: Dec. 1
- Earliest start date
- Level One: Jan. 1, 2024
- Level Two: Jan. 1, 2024
Past recipients
Previous awards support initiatives that are advancing health equity by addressing the social determinants of health as well as the systems and policies that hold inequities in place. In alignment with the Wisconsin Idea, the Community Impact Grant Program bridges the expertise and resources of the university with the experiences and expertise of communities to strengthen efforts to improve health and advance health equity.
Maternal and Child Health Grant Program
The Wisconsin Partnership Program has a long history of supporting efforts to improve health outcomes for Wisconsin’s mothers and babies and its approach to addressing this persistent challenge has evolved.
The Wisconsin Partnership Program’s maternal and child health funding mechanism supports a broad range of community partners and effective approaches to improving maternal and infant health outcomes, with a focus on under-resourced and marginalized communities across Wisconsin, including but not limited to Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, and rural communities.
Efforts led by trusted community-based organizations and strong community models of care are essential to improving maternal and child health outcomes. By engaging partners and supporting community-led solutions, the Wisconsin Partnership Program is working to help steer the state toward progress in improving health outcomes for Wisconsin’s mothers, infants, and families.
In 2021 and 2022 the Wisconsin Partnership Program awarded grants totaling $2.6 million to 18 projects that support a wide range of efforts across the state including: expanding community-based doula services; expanding early childhood programs to support mothers at risk for poor maternal and infant health outcomes; and strengthening postpartum care and family supports.
Since 2009, the Wisconsin Partnership Program has committed more than $70 million to 67 projects and initiatives to promote healthy pregnancies and birth outcomes and ensure more Wisconsin mothers and babies can thrive.
Additional resources
The Wisconsin Partnership Program recognizes the power of interconnected programming and collaboration focused on the whole family and will give consideration to organizations connecting to both the adult (mother/father/partner/caregiver) and infant, a two-generation approach (2-Gen). Promising 2-Gen practices build family well-being by intentionally meeting the needs of young children and the adults in their lives together.
- Annie E. Casey Foundation: Evaluation Lessons From Family-Centered Community Change
- Annie E. Casey Foundation: Panelists Share Insights in Evaluating Two-Generation Approaches
- ASCEND: Culturally Rooted and