Willy Street Co-op Community Reinvestment Fund – Wisconsin

Willy Street Co-op Community Reinvestment Fund has been making a difference in the quality of life for community by funding developmental and educational projects that promote food justice and/or access, creating/developing Cooperative businesses, sustainable agriculture, health and well-being, and social change.

Donor Name: Willy Street Co-op

State: Wisconsin

Cities: Madison and Middleto

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/31/2022

Size of the Grant: $35,000

Details:

The Community Reinvestment Fund Committee is interested in funding innovative, hands-on, educational, and entrepreneurial projects that impact a large group of people, reach out to underserved populations, create jobs or develop skills, foster social engagement, and offer opportunities for diversifying partnerships and collaboration.

Projects that support one or more of the following areas are prioritized: food justice and/or access, creating/developing cooperative businesses, sustainable agriculture, health and well-being, and/or social change.

Funding Information

The Board of Directors has allocated $35,000 total funding for Fiscal Year 2022.

Eligibility Criteria

Grants are awarded to 501(c)3 and/or cooperative organizations working on projects benefiting Dane County with priority given to projects benefiting the Madison and Middleton metropolitan areas, projects proposed by organizations with limited access to funding, and projects that have not been funded in previous years by the Community Reinvestment Fund.

  • Organizations may only submit one grant proposal per grant cycle.
  • Applications MUST include a copy of the Internal Revenue Service determination letter indicating 501(c)(3) IRS status for the organization, or articles of incorporation indicating Wisconsin Chapter 185 cooperative status. There will be no exceptions or reminders regarding compliance with this grant requirement.
    • 170(c)(1) government entities are NOT eligible for Community Reinvestment Fund grants. Public schools, credit unions, and other organizations that do not have proof of specifically 501(c)(3) IRS or Wis. Chapter 185 cooperative status MUST apply for the grant via a fiscal sponsor with proof of the proper status. In many cases, parent-teacher organizations have proper 501(c)(3) certifications to act as fiscal sponsor.
    • A fiscal sponsor is a 501(c)3 nonprofit or Wis. Chapter 185 cooperative that is willing to partner with an organization that does not have one of these statuses for the purposes of collecting the grant award and disbursing the award to the organization completing the project.
    • If using a fiscal sponsor, this application MUST include a letter from the fiscal sponsor’s Executive Director indicating their consent at the time of application.
    • A State of Wisconsin Tax Exemption Certificate is NOT proof of 501(c)3 IRS status.
  • Applications should be typed. Please use pages 3-4 of the application as the cover for your proposal.
  • The proposal portion of the application may not exceed three (3) pages.
  • Organizations making requests and their parent organizations (if applicable) must have a nondiscrimination policy. Any form of discrimination against any class including and not limited to those protected by local, state, or federal law is contrary to the principles and policies of Willy Street Co-op.
  • Organizations and their parent organizations (if applicable) who engage with animals as part of achieving their mission must have a policy of humane animal treatment. Willy Street Co-op refrains from funding organizations that use animals for the purposes of product testing or other research.

Organizations representing minority and protected classes are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit Willy Street Co-op.