our approach

Foundation investments address root cause barriers to child and family health through proactive, multi-sector systems change. We invest in:

• Collective Impact
  Facilitation of Every Child Thrives, a partnership of 50+ Dodge and Jefferson County agencies.
• Community Capacity Building
  Building our community’s collective capacity to impact outcomes for youth and families by supporting learning, research and development, quality improvement practices and collaborative grant writing.
• Impact Investing
  Using our assets to help other organizations acquire access to capital.
• Policy, Systems and Environmental Change
  Working at the local and state level to foster policies and practices that support the ability for all children and families to thrive.
• Grants
  Financial and technical assistance resources in support of evidence-based and innovative practices that "move the needle" on priority child and family outcome measures.

collective impact

Real change happens when a core group of community leaders come together using a collective approach to create a clear, common agenda with measurable results.

Every Child Thrives (ECT) is a collective impact effort uniting community partners in Wisconsin's Dodge and Jefferson counties. It is centered on the shared purpose of ensuring all children thrive in health, learning and life.

Launched in 2017, ECT engages business, government, education, families and community partners who use data to drive decisions and align resources so all children have a strong start in life.

community capacity building

Creating a healthier tomorrow for children and families in Dodge and Jefferson counties relies on the collective capacity of our community. For that reason, GWCHF funds leadership development and technical assistance to help local organizations move their missions further.

Examples of capacity building activities we may support include:

• Research and development activities like needs assessments, feasibility studies and strategic planning efforts
• Quality improvement work to help organizations become more efficient and effective
• Grant writing for multi-sector initiatives that support children and families

If your organization has a capacity building need, please contact GWCHF President & CEO Tina Crave to learn more about how we could support you.

impact investing

Our Foundation uses assets to help other organizations acquire access to capital – which they can then use to create beneficial opportunities for the region, such as affordable housing or jobs in businesses that contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of communities. Our support can take the form of bridge loans, loan guarantees, start-up capital or an equity investment.

Although investments like these may deliver modest financial returns (which we can then redeploy into the region for charitable purposes), our primary focus is on the social returns each investment delivers.

policy, systems and environmental change

Policies and practices that support the ability for all children and families to thrive are critical to the health of our community. Alongside our partners, we work locally, regionally and statewide to foster policies and practices that advance our strategic priorities.

Current Policy Initiatives:

Participation in the Wisconsin Partnership - a collaborative effort of partnerships in Wisconsin working to create a state policy environment that enables us to move further faster toward our goal for improving access to high-quality early care and education for all children.