2005 Locally Funded CCHD Organizations

Benedict Center is an interfaith nonprofit criminal justice agency, which has fulfilled a unique role in Milwaukee working with victims, offenders, and the community to achieve a system of justice that is fair. The Benedict Center received $3,225 towards establishing a Community Justice Center for Milwaukee’s near South Side neighborhoods. The goals are to support restorative justice, neighborhood probation, and connect residents diverted from jail and returning from prison to treatment programs, support and service right in their own community.

The Bridge Ecumenical Employment Ministry began as an outreach of St. Mary’s Parish and Whitnall Park Lutheran Church in Hales Corners, and St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Greendale. With $5,000 of CCHD funding, Bridges will continue to offer job coaching, and professional help with resumes and interviews, network opportunities, and counseling to anyone seeking employment. The goal of Bridges is to support and empower career-seekers to make better decisions through first-call assistance, individual job coaching, and access to a common pool of professional resources.

Congregations United to Serve Humanity (CUSH) located in Kenosha County works to identify and train grass-roots leaders from within 15 congregations to strengthen faith communities, build relationships and work together for social justice issues. Specifically, $5,000 of CCHD funds will go towards efforts to educate the public on the need for affordable housing in Kenosha.

Dominican Center for Women founded in 1990 and located in Milwaukee’s central city, helps to create safe and nonviolent neighborhoods. They address a root cause of poverty through the neighborhood based Homeownership and Education Programs. $5,000 from CCHD enables The Dominican Center for Women to educate and work with 125 economically poor residents to organize community groups and become homeowners.

Greater Milwaukee Sponsors is a new ecumenical interfaith group which includes religious, civic and business leaders building a broad-based citizen organization to address critical social justice issues in the Greater Milwaukee area in a non-partisan way. $5,000 in CCHD funds have been awarded to assist the organization in its first year of operation.

Layton Boulevard West Neighbors is a corporation that identifies and develops community leaders to work on stabilizing and revitalizing the Layton Blvd. West Neighbors’ community in Milwaukee. $5,000 from CCHD will help support this grassroots initiative to provide leaders with hands on training in all aspects of planning, implementing and evaluating community development projects.

Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) is a multi-racial, interfaith organization committed to addressing justice issues that have an impact on the Milwaukee community. $2,500 will provide funds necessary for MICAH to offer leadership training designed to address problems related to housing, employment, and health care.

Pan-African Community Association (PACA) was established to address the unique needs of the African immigrant and refugee community. CCHD has awarded $5,000 to the African Women Entrepreneurship pilot project which trains and mentors women from the African immigrant and refugee community.

People First Wisconsin is part of a national movement run by and for people with developmental and other disabilities. People First empowers, nurtures and supports individuals with developmental disabilities to achieve societal changes. Funding in the amount of $5,000 from CCHD will support The Voice of the Turtle Project. This project trains 25 members with developmental disabilities to educate the community and become directly involved with changing policies that negatively affect their lives.

For the past 25 years in Milwaukee, Project Return has assisted individuals returning from incarceration to find the support they need so as not to return to the prison system. Project Return empowers ex-offenders to obtain full family-sustaining employment and achieve greater self-sufficiency. Specifically, CCHD will fund the Rekindled Potential project in the amount of $7,000.

Racine County Clubhouse / Harbor House opened their doors to people with mental illness starting in 1991. Their goal is to integrate people with mental illnesses into the economic and social community by expanding employment opportunities. $3,000 from CCHD will help support the existing employment program and expansion of a consumer advisory committee.

Racine Interfaith Coalition (RIC) was formed in 1993 by congregations of various religious denominations to fight the different forms of economic and social injustice in Racine County. CCHD funding will help support the Alternatives To Jail Expansion Project. Members are working to prevent the expansion of the Racine County Jail and search for alternatives to incarceration. $5,000 was awarded.

Sherman Park Community Association connects local residents, businesses and institutions to promote the quality of life in and around Sherman Park. CCHD will help support the continued efforts of the From the Sanctuary to the Streets project. The project empowers and organizes residents to solve problems within the community, as well as, provide a network of support for families. $4,000 was awarded.

Saint Vincent de Paul is an international organization joining together community volunteers to work for social justice and fight poverty. The Leadership Enhancement and Development Project (LEAD) aims at bringing about social change relating to childcare and education in the city of Milwaukee. CCHD funding of $5,000 will enable LEAD to teach low- income parents leadership strategies and encourages them to take an active role in their children’s childcare.

2005 Nationally Funded CCHD Organizations

Voces de La Frontera is a community-based organization working to protect the rights of immigrant workers. Voces received $35,000 to support the development of work centers in Milwaukee and Racine. Members of these work centers take an active role in responding to the institutional barriers that keep immigrant families in poverty. Recently, Voces formed a new chapter, titled Students United for Immigrant Rights. In addition to local funding, Saint Vincent DePaul and People First Wisconsin also received national grants. SVDP received $10,000 and People First Wisconsin received $35,000.

CCHD Funding Cycle for 2006 National Grants

First Time Applicants: online ‘Eligibility Quiz’ link: for community organizing: www.usccb.org/cchd/grants/criteria.shtml and for economic development: www.usccb.org/cchd/grants/criteria.shtml.

Deadline for submission of Eligibility Quiz online for first time applicants is Nov.1, 2005. If accepted for further consideration the deadline for the full application is Dec. 15, 2005.

For current 2005 grantees for refunding, do not submit eligibility quiz: an e-mail will be sent from CCHD that contains instructions for on-line application and progress report. The application is due online Dec. 1, 2005.

CCHD Funding Cycle for 2006 Local Grants

For Local CCHD grant information contact: Ron Spitz at Rspitz@ccmke.org or call 414/769-3419. You can also review the criteria and application forms online at: www.archmil.org/aboutus/dept.asp?. The due date is January 31, 2006.