Services

Granting

Our granting programs can help your organization break free from financial limitations and move your cause forward.

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Philosophy

Granting at FCI

In addition to empowering mission-driven organizations with low-cost, flexible loans, we strive to provide regular opportunities for access to grant funding.

Core to our vision mission, we commit to approaching grant making with the following in mind:

  • We agree to trust, be trustworthy and practice transparency.
  • We will operate from a place of humility and curiosity.
  • We recognize that people and organizations have been operating in an equity space far longer than Forward Community Investments. We are committed to learning from our applicants and awardees.
  • We will focus on the mission of the request.

Current Grant Opportunities

2024 Racine dominicans mission grants

About Racine Dominicans

The Racine Dominicans are Committed to Truth and Compelled to Justice, a mission that has been the cornerstone of their life and work. For more than 160 years, the Racine Dominicans have continued to build on the foundation started by Mother Benedicta and Mother Thomasina through their tireless work to serve those in the margins.

In addition to traditional roles in the field of education, the Racine Dominicans served as health care professionals, social workers, prison ministers, community organizers, environmentalists, counselors, administrators, cooks, pastoral ministers, artists, spiritual directors, musicians, peace activists, researchers, college professors, writers and more.

About the Program

To further this mission and the work of justice, the Sisters have partnered with FCI to create the 2024 Racine Dominicans Mission Grant Program.

This program will offer ten (10) one time $50,000 grants to nonprofits pursuing Wisconsin based and focused projects tackling critical issues in the areas of:

  1. Immigration & Migration: Projects that will help provide services to directly support & assist the immigrant or migrant population 
  2. Affordable Home Ownership Solutions: Projects or programs that will increase individual ownership and/or help provide pathways to ownership amongst disadvantaged persons and families 
  3. Climate Equity: Environmental projects that mitigate damage to air, water, and soil that serve disadvantaged populations that typically challenged with accessing similar services or support

Eligibility & Criteria

Open to 501(c)(3) organizations (or projects fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization) with consideration given to projects that meet the following criteria:

  • Serving an unmet or under met need
  • Actively collaborating with other organizations or municipal partners to amplify impact
  • Working to address racial equity within the scope of the project
  • Inclusion of an educational component to raise awareness
  • Project will advocate for systemic change and long-term impact
  • Proximity to Racine will be preferred between projects of equal merit

In addition, applicants must be able to provide evidence of the organizations solvency, ability to carry out it’s mission, and capacity to deploy funding to execute the project within a reasonable timeframe (12-18 months).

Those considered ineligible to participate include:

  • Individuals
  • Capital campaigns
  • Endowments
  • For-profit entities
  • Partisan political efforts

 

Ready to join FCI and Racine Dominicans in the fight for a brighter, more equitable future for Wisconsin? Together we can make a difference.

Application period: January 30th – March 30th, 2024

Stay in the loop

Make sure you’re on the list to hear all of our latest updates on grant opportunities by signing up for our email list and following us on social media.

Previous Grant Programs

  • 2022 Nonprofit Health Equity Grants made possible by the Otto Bremmer Foundation
  • 2021 Nonprofit Capacity Building Statewide Grants
  • 2020 COVID-19 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants, Statewide
  • 2020 COVID-19 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants, Milwaukee
  • Nan Chaney March for Justice Awards
  • Forward Giving Grants
  • Donor Advised Grants
    Game Changer Grants

To learn more about our previous grant programs, contact us.

To help grow our pool of funds for social justice grant making, consider making a donation today

We don't see the quit in equity

At Forward Community Investments, when it comes to reducing social, economic and racial disparities in Wisconsin, we are relentless. 

We are a community loan fund that gets things done.

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We ignite the future of mission driven organizations and diverse developers by providing the financial support they need to thrive.

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