Launched in 2007, Achieve Center, Inc. (ACI), provides mental health and learning services for children, adults, and families impacted by learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, memory problems, concussion/brain injury, and various other cognitive, developmental, and physical challenges.

Community First, Inc. (CFI) offers vital services to distressed inner-city Milwaukee neighborhoods by managing rehabilitation projects to ensure that families are provided professional, insured, licensed and timely contractor services. In terms of social impact, you would be hard-pressed to find an organization that delivers such life-altering services for clients, and for no out of pocket cost to the homeowner. CFI serves moderate to low-income families—many on the brink of losing their homes—in one of the most depressed housing markets in the state.

The Northside Planning Council undertakes an innovative approach to community and economic development with the construction of a new facility that provides multiple kitchen spaces, a produce processing area and a training kitchen.

Jo’s is located in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Milwaukee, an area with a 26% poverty rate and an unemployment rate of nearly 10%.  Of the 300 children served by Jo’s Early Learning Academy prior to this expansion, nearly all receive assistance through the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program. There is a severe shortage of high quality early learning programming in the neighborhood, and Jo's is an exemplary program. The children that attend Jo’s live in areas considered to be food deserts, where there are of lack stores that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. While there has been a substantial increase in the number of urban gardens in the area, access to fresh produce does not come close to meeting the need. Jo’s believes it can begin to reverse this unhealthy trend and help children, parents, staff and guardians learn how to improve their diets.  

Opportunity Center in Prairie du Chien, WI is a 50-year-old nonprofit that provides real-work employment opportunities, skill development training and socialization/communication activities to clients with disabilities. The produce and tilapia produced by Opportunity Center are harvested and sold at local, small organic grocers, farmers markets, and farm-to-school programs. The Opportunity Center has been promoting locally-grown produce for several years, including managing the local farmer’s market for many years before it became a vendor-run market. The Opportunity Center wants to create a community that feeds itself not only with food but economically as well. They needed to expand production to fulfill their mission.

Pantheon Industries is a leader in employment opportunities for a wide range of qualified individuals with disabilities. For nearly twenty years, they have been matching individuals with positions that will allow them to develop skills to benefit both themselves and the community. Pantheon’s approach is effective, and they have grown to have offices in three communities in Southwest Wisconsin, providing quality services to more than 400 individuals in 2012.

The Appleton-based Partnership Community Health Center has been providing health services to lower-income individuals and families in the Fox Valley area since 1997, when it first opened as a free clinic called Fox Cities Community Health Center. By 2009 PCHC was offering a range of services, including primary care and behavioral health at clinics in Appleton and Menasha, as well as a dental clinic, also located in Appleton. Recognizing a shortage of dental clinics in the area willing to accept Medicaid patients, PCHC began investigating opportunities to open a new clinic in Oshkosh.

The Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps (Great Lakes CCC) provides job training and education for disadvantaged individuals in southeastern Wisconsin, with programs that address both social and physical challenges in the region. Financing to acquire a clean energy training vehicle enables Great Lakes CCC to provide a multitude of industry-focused training programs, including the “Road to Green” commercial driver licensing initiative. Road to Green gives participants the driving experience to obtain a Class D driver license (regular license) and the opportunity to progress to a Class A commercial driver license (CDL). In addition to being a requirement for driving trucks, the CDL is often a preferred credential for the union trades, wastewater treatment technicians, and technical occupations.

Sojourner Family Peace Center has been helping families affected by domestic violence for 40 years by providing emergency shelter and other services. Sojourner is one of the first facilities in the nation to house holistic services for domestic violence victims of all ages. The Center connects survivors of family violence to a broad array community resources. Children’s hospital and law enforcement have a presence there, as do agencies providing drug and alcohol counseling, employment services, mental health, legal assistance, and range of other services.

The Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative is farmer-led co-op working to get local food into the grocery, distributor, institutional, and school market channels. The Food Hub is committed to building a vibrant local and regional food system that supports all levels of the value-chain; farmers, businesses, and consumers. Cash flow challenges in its first year led the cooperative to seek a loan from FCI.