Appleton, Wis., Jan. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Basic Needs Giving Partnership recently announced their 2024 one-year grant awards with $2.50 million awarded to 58 organizations across Northeast Wisconsin. This brings total 2024 grantmaking to $5.35 million with the $2.85 million previously awarded in multi-year grants. These one-year grants support organizations that are working collaboratively to build thriving, equitable communities in the region in the areas of early care education, housing access, mental health, and substance use.
Grants are focused on efforts that are addressing the root causes of poverty in rural, urban, and suburban communities across the ten-county region. Funding for the grants is generated by the annual U.S. Venture Open, the nation's single largest one-day charitable event dedicated to ending poverty. The 2024 event raised $4.83 million for the Basic Needs Giving Partnership and 100% of every dollar donated goes to end poverty. In the 39-year history of the U.S. Venture Open, $60 million has been granted to regional nonprofits.
"We're inspired by the many ways that organizations are supporting individuals and families affected by poverty - whether leading collaborative change efforts or by providing critical direct services like access to affordable child care, eviction prevention programs, and peer-led mental health and substance use support,” said Lynn Coriano, executive director of the Basic Needs Giving Partnership. "We're encouraged by the quality and combination of efforts and the difference they will make for children and families in our region.”
"Poverty is an incredibly complex issue requiring innovative and effective nonprofits resourced to create opportunities for individuals and families struggling,” said Greg Vandenberg, director of giving and community engagement for U.S. Venture. "The partnership and collaboration between funders and amongst nonprofits are critical to building a thriving community. U.S. Venture is proud to pay every expense of the U.S. Venture Open so every dollar raised goes to this critical cause.”
A grantmaking match of $600,000 from the J. J. Keller Foundation, $250,000 from Oshkosh Corporation, and $200,000 from ThedaCare and the Thrivent Foundation lead this effort.
Recipients of the Basic Needs Giving Partnership 2024 One-Year Grants are:
2024 Basic Needs Giving Partnership One-Year Grants
$2,502,585 in new one-year grant commitments
ADVOCAP: $50,000
Creates opportunities for people and communities to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency by empowering families to persevere through crises, overcome barriers, and build the skills needed to support themselves independently.
African Heritage, Inc.: $50,000
Seeks to provide a support system for Africans, African Americans, and its members through the generation of goodwill and the promotion of cross cultural understanding and education. Provides culturally-responsive academic enrichment, social-emotional learning experiences, and wrap-around services that will position children to realize their full potential during the academic year and beyond.
Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area: $50,000
Improves the lives of children and their families in our rural communities by providing a safe and reliable place for youth to go to after school and during the summer. Provides early care for 5 year-olds and will be expanding to include child care for ages birth to 5.
Bridges Child Enrichment Center: $50,000
Provides high quality care for children of diverse needs, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Strives to create a supportive learning environment for children as well as the adults who nurture and educate them.
Casa Alba Melanie: $50,000
Nurtures the well-being of Spanish-speaking residents in the greater Green Bay area community by addressing basic needs of education, resources for stable housing, and socialization for greater connection between members of this community.
Casa Esther: $30,000
Lends voice and effort to the cause of the poor by offering a safe place to ask for help as they move towards self-sufficiency. Provides rental and emergency housing assistance, navigation to resources, and wraparound supports.
Casa Hispana: $35,000
Advocates for and empowers the Hispanic/Latinx community through advancing awareness, education, and celebration of our diverse cultures to ensure current and future generations thrive in the Fox Valley. Works to reduce housing insecurity through financial assistance and navigation and is developing peer/community-based programming to support Latina mental health.
Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services: $50,000
Provides safety and support to survivors of domestic abuse in the form of emergency shelter, transitional housing, outreach & legal advocacy, youth advocacy & prevention, and more. Supports access to safe housing and positive mental health as survivors heal and rebuild.
Collaborative Connection: $50,000
Works in partnership to manage a collaborative fund with shared decision-making amongst providers to meet needs and fill gaps regarding housing stability throughout Winnebago County, including low-barrier financial assistance to individuals and families.
Community for Hope: $25,000
Promotes and supports mental wellness and builds awareness about suicide prevention, intervention and response, and offers grief support for surviving family members in Winnebago County and surrounding communities.
COMSA: $50,000
Founded by refugees for refugees and immigrants. Strives to meet the special needs and challenges affecting these communities-to build a resourceful community that contributes to the wellbeing of its members and the broader communities in which they live, empowering individuals through case management, education, housing, employment, and mental health services.
County of Kewaunee: $45,000
Provides a comprehensive range of human services for qualified children, families, and adults living in Kewaunee County in an efficient, ethical, professional, and timely manner with emphasis on the dignity of the individual to promote safety, health, and well-being for all citizens. Funding will support emergency housing assistance and wraparound support for households experiencing housing instability.
Day By Day Shelter: $50,000
Provides emergency shelter, meals, personalized support services, and opportunities to help adults experiencing homelessness in Oshkosh achieve self-sufficiency and independence.
Diverse and Resilient: $50,000
Aims to achieve health equity and improve the safety and well-being of LGBTQ people in Wisconsin. Focuses on addressing disparities through direct services, advocacy, education, and building community resilience, particularly for LGBTQ people of color who face systemic barriers to health and safety.
Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative: $50,000
Expands opportunities for social connection and emotional wellness that improve the quality of life for people in our communities.
Encompass Early Education and Care: $50,000
Provides the highest quality education and care for children and support for families with a commitment to compassion, excellence, and advocacy.
ESTHER: $30,000
Empowers communities by organizing individuals and groups to advocate for economic, racial, and social equity, addressing issues like affordable housing, criminal justice reform, immigration rights, and mental health.
Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin: $50,000
Protects, heals, and cares for those in Northeast Wisconsin by creating communities of thriving children, strong families, and healthy individuals. Provides programming to support early care and education for children and families.
First 5 Fox Valley: $50,000
Leverages collective impact work to cultivate a community that empowers every family to have equitable access to resources for children in their first five years.
Fox Valley Veterans Council, Inc.: $50,000
Coordinates community support for military veterans, those still serving, their families, and survivors in Wisconsin. Aims to identify and address gaps in veteran services including efforts that support housing stability, mental wellness, and substance use recovery.
FREE: $50,000
Led by criminal-legal system-impacted women in the state of Wisconsin, focused on the gender-specific experiences and collateral consequences of incarceration. Centers the most directly impacted women and girls and seeks visionary alternatives to the current systems of injustice and incarceration. Aims to increase access to safe and dignified housing for women and girls impacted by the legal system.
Freedom House Ministries: $50,000
Empowers families experiencing homelessness or housing instability through shelter services, case management, educational programs, basic needs (meals, clothing, hygiene and transportation assistance), social and emotional wellness, and workforce coaching. Through faith and dignity, shelters families so they can embrace self-worth and obtain stable housing.
Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation: $35,000
Leads economic development initiatives through collaboration and business development and builds up the area's diversity and quality of life through those initiatives. Facilitates the Oshkosh Childcare Taskforce, provides linkages for local businesses to support their employees with childcare benefits or investments, and is working in partnership to develop a formal pipeline of early learning educators in Oshkosh.
Harbor House Domestic & Sexual Violence Programs: $50,000
Serves all people impacted by domestic and sexual violence. Leads the shift in perception of violence and advocates for lasting social and policy change.
Helios Heuristic: $40,000
Reduces the number of children in foster care through early intervention, education, and providing wraparound services to families affected by substance use disorder.
Hmong HANDS: $50,000
Spreads awareness about autism, disabilities, and other special needs by providing a supportive space for Hmong and Wisconsin families who need extra help through education, group support, and grants.
House of Hope Green Bay: $50,000
Provides a safe and supportive environment for youth, young parents, and children experiencing homelessness, empowering them to become confident, independent, and successful community members.
Howe Community Resource Center: $50,000
Builds a strong and resilient community through education and support to children and their families.
Hub Ministries: $15,000
Improves the lives of those impacted by the justice system, especially in under-served rural places, including persons currently incarcerated, individuals recently released, and their families. Provides support to access housing, mental health and substance use services, and employment.
Journey to Adult Success: $50,000
Provides a pathway to self-sufficiency for youth aging out of the foster care system and others like them through safe and stable housing, a positive atmosphere, and individualized coaching and support.
Lovin' The Skin I'm In: $50,000
Empowers and uplifts Black & Brown girls in Northeast Wisconsin by providing access and exposure to opportunities that develop their talents, gifts, and leadership skills.
Mandolin Foundation: $40,000
Provides safe and supportive transitional housing for women and their children to become independent and productive members of the community by providing life skills training, substance use and mental health advocacy, and connection to community resources.
NAMI Fox Valley: $50,000
Works to support and empower everyone touched by mental illness. Commits to eliminate stigma and nurture recovery through education, support, advocacy, and outreach.
NeighborWorks Green Bay: $50,000
Aims to solve housing challenges and build stronger communities by building and repairing single- and multi-family housing, operating rental properties for low- and very low-income households, educating and counseling home buyers, and helping neighbors build capacity to work together.
Northeastern Wisconsin Affordable Housing Solutions: $50,000
Provides affordable housing solutions in Northeastern Wisconsin for those who are economically challenged while encouraging self-sufficiency through education and financial literacy.
Oshkosh Area School District: $35,000
Supports students in becoming creative, empowered leaders who are critical thinkers, responsible, and lifelong learners. This project supports the involvement of families with young children, child care centers, and youth serving organizations to co-design an engagement plan that identifies family support needs and allows community input into changes to 4k programming.
Oshkosh Child Development Center: $32,937
Will provide a quality two-shift child care for families of all income levels while supporting household participation in the workforce, educational opportunities, programming, and career advancement. In 2025, will establish organizational infrastructure, conduct family outreach, and initiate staff recruitment plans.
Oshkosh Community YMCA: $50,000
Dedicated to giving people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life the opportunity to reach their full potential, guided by the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Committed to ensuring families receive the financial assistance they need for childcare at the Y.
Oshkosh Pride: $15,000
Aims to improve the mental health and well-being of LGBTQIA2S+ and other marginalized persons in Winnebago County through advocacy and community-building. Provides visible, empathetic, and empowering spaces for the community to build power, organize, and participate in decision-making in ways that improve the mental health and life outcomes for all who identify as LGBTQIA2S+.
Pillars: $50,000
Offers programming and services across the housing continuum-from street outreach to shelter to supportive and stable housing. From homelessness to coming home, provides shelter, support, and solutions to address the housing needs in our community.
Resolution Center, Inc.: $35,000
Develops understanding and builds collaborative resolutions through mediation among people who are in conflict, such as for court cases, organizational disputes, personal conflicts, and more. Provides eviction and pre-eviction mediation programs that focus on resolving issues between property owners and tenants, helping individuals and families avoid displacement and stay in their homes.
Safe Families for Children Green Bay/Fox Cities: $25,000
Keeps children safe and families together, prevents child abuse and neglect, reduces the number of children entering the child welfare system, and supports and stabilizes families in Northeast Wisconsin.
Safe Haven: $34,400
Provides a safe and supportive environment for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and emotional abuse. Through shelter, advocacy, and comprehensive services, ensures that individuals and families have access to housing, crisis support, legal assistance, and educational resources. Strives to create a community free from violence by offering compassionate care, promoting awareness, and addressing critical needs like childcare, mental health services, and housing.
SEPO: $50,000
Intentionally co-creates space and provides community-led support for Black, Brown, immigrant, and refugee households, including mental health and housing supports in the Oshkosh area. Is dedicated to sustainability, education, and progress in western Zambia and Northeastern Wisconsin. Guided by anti-colonial and anti-racist principles and strategies, identifies local needs, harnesses community strengths, develops global partnerships, and builds more sustainable futures.
SiStar Society: $7,000
Helps combat the issues circling the mental health of young Black girls by promoting etiquette and sisterhood through the expression of art while also equipping them with the confidence and basic life skills necessary for them to become high-functioning women.
Solutions Recovery: $50,000
Supports and empowers those impacted by alcohol and drug addiction to enhance the quality of life in our community. Is grounded in a peer-driven model, leveraging and empowering our recovery community to spearhead the work we do, recognizing that they have the powerful expertise in helping others with substance use disorders.
Sunny Day Child Care & Preschool, Inc.: $50,000
Provides high-quality, professional, and supervised care of children in an environment where every child will feel secure, understood, and appreciated.
The Building for Kids: $50,000
Inspires discovery and builds resilience through intergenerational play-based learning and exploration of the arts, sciences, and humanities.
The Gateway Collective: $50,000
Provides housing that is more than just a place to live by focusing on research and driving actionable solutions to address the upward mobility needs of our community such as affordable housing, economic self-sufficiency, and holistic wellbeing.
Unity Recovery Services: $50,000
Provides peer support to those in and seeking recovery from addiction including services to marginalized persons and their families, education to the broader community, and safe places to come as alternatives to using.
Urban Cultural Arts & Event Center: $15,000
Fosters community resilience and well-being by making art accessible and inclusive for underserved populations, including children with disabilities, low-income families, and seniors. Through art-based interventions, promotes mental health, cultural understanding, and social connection, creating a unifying space for the community.
Us 2 Behavioral Health Care: $50,000
Advances health equity by removing barriers and creating an inclusive community where everyone can reach their full potential.
UW Oshkosh Head Start: $28,248
Offers comprehensive services that focus on the most vulnerable 3-5 year old children and their families in the community. Supports the core areas of early learning, health, mental health, and family well-being while engaging parents as partners every step of the way as key to positive child outcomes.
Veterans 1st of Northeast Wisconsin: $50,000
Provides a safe, supportive veteran Cottage Court community for area veterans in need of affordable housing with wraparound services to help with self-sufficiency.
World Relief Wisconsin: $50,000
Boldly engages the world's greatest crises in partnership with the church by providing vital services, building just and welcoming communities, and bringing people together. Provides programming to facilitate a safe space for peer-led groups of newcomers to support the mental health of one another.
Young Men's Christian Association of the Fox Cities: $50,000
Promotes activities that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. Focuses on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Provides accessible, high-quality early childhood education and wrap-around support for families.
Youth Go: $30,000
Provides youth opportunities to learn, grow and feel comfortable with themselves and others. Strives to provide youth with a place where they feel like they belong, where they are accepted for who they are and where they are at, and where they are cared about.
YWCA Greater Green Bay: $50,000
Aims to eliminate racism and empower women by providing programs and services in three pillar areas: health and safety, economic empowerment, and racial justice and civil rights.
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About the Basic Needs Giving Partnership
The Basic Needs Giving Partnership envisions thriving, equitable communities across Northeast Wisconsin. We invest in local and regional solutions that address the root causes of poverty in alignment with our shared values of trust and collaboration, curiosity and learning, and equity with a systems-based approach. The funds raised through the U.S. Venture Open from generous corporations, family foundations, and individuals are granted to support nonprofits providing critical services as well as organizations working to change the systems that hold poverty in place. For more information about the Basic Needs Giving Partnership, please visit our website, bngpwi.org.
U.S. Venture Open
The U.S. Venture Open is the nation's single largest one-day charitable event dedicated to ending poverty. Funds from the event support the Basic Needs Giving Partnership with a vision to build thriving, equitable communities across Northeast Wisconsin through regional collaborative grants and advocacy. The U.S. Venture Open started in 1986 with 100 golfers and has grown to 1,200 attendees representing more than 700 partners who golf at regional courses to raise money for programs that help end poverty. Follow the event on Facebook, Twitter, or visit the U.S. Venture Open website.
About U.S. Venture, Inc.
For over 70 years, U.S. Venture, Inc. has been recognized as an innovative leader in the distribution of renewable and traditional energy products, lubricants, tires, parts, and using data-driven insights to manage energy and information in the global movement of goods. U.S. Venture delivers creative, sustainable solutions that give their customers a competitive edge, and enable the company to support the communities in which they live, work, and play. Through the values lived by their family of brands, U.S. Energy™, U.S. AutoForce, Breakthrough®, U.S. Lubricants, and IGEN®, U.S. Venture seeks new ways to drive business success while being steadfast in its commitment to making the world a better place.
CONTACT: Dawn Ruchala, Senior Manager, Community Engagement
U.S. Venture
920-243-2529
Lynn Coriano, Executive Director
Basic Needs Giving Partnership
920-372-2303
