Forward Janesville Ambassador Grant Program

2019 Recipients:

Mercyhealth Development Foundation: Keys to Good Tenancy	GIFTS Men's Shelter: Verbal Judo
Community Action of Rock & Walworth Counties: Community Kids Learning Center	Blackhawk Technical College: Coins for Caring
YWCA of Rock County: Alternatives to Violence Program

Recipients:
2018
ECHO, Inc: Suds for Hope program
KANDU Industries, Inc.: Inclusion Solutions for Communications program
Paddy's Paws: Transportation Van
Rock County Historical Society: Francis Willard School House preservation

2017
Project 16:49:  Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Program
YWCA of Rock County: Bunk Beds for their facility
HealthNet of Rock County: Oral Health and Dentures Program

2016
Community Action of Rock & Walworth Counties:  Fatherhood Initiatives program

2015
GIFTS Men's Shelter

Submission

Completed applications can be sent to:
Forward Janesville
14 South Jackson Street - Suite 200
Janesville, WI  53548
To complete the Grant Application click here.  We will be accepting applications immediately. Questions? Contact the FJI office at 608-757-3160 and ask for Jenny Tschudy.

Deadline: 
Grant applications will be accepted through November 30th, 2020 at 5 pm from non-profit organizations who are members in good standing with Forward Janesville (additional eligibility & exclusions may apply.)

HELP US REACH OUR 2020 GOAL!

Help us reach our goal of $6k before the end of 2020.  Many member non-profits are faced with making cuts to their project budgets due to the impact of COVID-19.  The purpose of this grant to assist our non-profits and provide a safety net.  Raising funds is critical to this mission.  As of November 2020 we are $300 from our goal.  If you would like to make a donation to help us reach our goal, please contact Jenny Tschudy at jennyt@forwardjanesville.com or call 608-757-3180.  Want to win $375?  Play Reverse BINGO with us.  Its easy to play and once we sell all numbers, one winner will take home $375 CASH!  Each number is $10 and there is no limit to your purchase. Simply call Jenny Tschudy at 608-757-3160 or email jennyt@forwardjansville, pick from remaining numbers and WIN! We will reach our goal when all numbers are purchased! 

“When families arrive at the House of Mercy Homeless Center they bring with multiple barriers which make them undesirable to future landlords. They arrive with a poor rental history (i.e., prior evictions, rent/utility arrears and bad credit). In order to secure permanent housing these issues must be addressed quickly. The first step is helping families establish the “Keys to Good Tenancy”. Though a structured educational approach they learn the steps necessary to become a good tenant. Because of the generous support of the Forward Janesville Ambassador Program 20 households received landlord/tenant education, developed budgeting skills and exited shelter into permanent housing. These families are now equipped to sustain housing for years to come”.

-Tammie King-Johnson
Manager, House of Mercy Homeless Center

"ECHO is very grateful to be a recipient of the FJ Ambassador Grant Program for the donation to our Suds of Hope program. Having clean clothes is taken for granted by most people, but is an obstacle for homeless individuals. ECHO provides motel voucher throughout the year to the homeless in our community. Over half of the clients ask for laundry assistance. A person can go to a job interview, but needs clean clothes to land the job. It is easier to find and get employment if one has a roof over their head, communication, as well as clean clothes, something the majority of us take for granted. The grant provided funding to help homeless individuals with laundry, ECHO was able to help 250 households with laundry money and laundry soap".

Jessica Locher, Executive Director
ECHO, Inc.

"The YWCA Rock County’s Alternatives to Violence Program serves more youth than adults in the emergency shelter. The effects of domestic violence on children can be devastating, it is as important to treat the trauma a child has as well as the adult. The activity room in Alternatives is used for these youth to do a variety of things, from individual activities with an advocate to peer group activities. This is also a space where a parent and child can repair their bond after leaving an abusive home. Activities include a calming area where kids can sit and with an advocate to assess their feelings and learn to cope in a healthy way with those emotions. Group activities include self-esteem building skills, as youth with a positive self-worth will be less likely to become victims. The 2019 Forward Janesville Ambassador’s grant made it possible for us to revamp and enhance our outdated previous activity room into today’s therapeutic activity room for our youngest shelter clients".

"Rock County Historical Society received a meaningful gift through the Ambassador Grant program offered by Forward Janesville. This gift was applied to the continued preservation efforts of the Frances Willard School House that was moved to our property back in 2016. Over 1.200 enjoy experiencing the School House each spring and autumn. Working together with Forward Janesville to ensure that this building remain intact is very important to sharing the continued history of those who came before us".

-Timothy Maahs, Executive Director

"The grant award to Blackhawk Technical College Foundation’s Coins for Caring program provided additional monetary support for this student emergency fund which is given to our Blackhawk students who experience financial pressures and challenges including but not limited to food insecurity, transportation/gas needs, utility payment assistance, auto repairs, and childcare expenses. The Forward Janesville Ambassador Grant Program provided financial security to our BTC students who were experiencing unanticipated expenses that might otherwise have prevented them from completing their educational studies. Thank you to the donors who generously provided this safety net for our technical college students and helped them cross the graduation “finish line.”

-Lisa Hurda, BTC Foundation Director