Paul’s Party started as a kindness campaign to celebrate Paul’s birthday the year that he passed away at age 15.  On the anniversary of his death, we had what was initially planned to be a small party and ended up raising over $15,000 to support a few charities that were important to Paul.  After that smashing success, we decided to set up a 501c3 non-profit to spend those funds properly and Paul’s Party was born.

The mission of Paul’s Party is to fund FUN for kids with physical disabilities.  Paul was a fun-seeker and we know how difficult it can be to provide recreational opportunities for kids who use wheelchairs or even just can’t participate in the same way as their peers.  So we fund sled hockey equipment, track racing chairs and equipment, hand bikes, summer camp scholarships…pretty much anything recreational and fun (and likely expensive).

As we’ve grown, we have also connected people and created a supportive community!  We have provided these kids and their parents with a network of people who can truly understand what they are going through, which is absolutely priceless.

TRC’s Vision: Housing Justice for All. 

TRC is a nonprofit, membership organization that has been an important part of the community for over 40 years.

Our mission is to advocate for housing justice and thriving communities. This is accomplished by providing education and centering community partnerships; thereby empowering individuals to make fully informed decisions. 

The goal of housing justice is to meet all communities' needs, not merely the needs of the privileged. It means high-quality, safe housing for all genders, races, ethnicities, disabilities, ages, and more. It means the end of housing discrimination, as we fight until every last person is housed as they need and as they choose.

WYSO was established in 1966 by Professor Marvin Rabin of the University of Wisconsin-Extension Music Department. More than 5,000 young musicians from communities throughout southern Wisconsin have participated in WYSO during its 50+ years of existence. Under the artistic direction of Kyle Knox, WYSO includes three full orchestras, two string orchestras, a chamber music program, a harp program, a percussion ensemble, a brass choir program and the WYSO Music Makers program.

Advocating for Victims of
Domestic and Sexual Violence

The mission of Women and Children’s Horizons is to provide support, shelter, education, training and healing services to victims of sexual and domestic abuse, their families and the community.

One in seven Dane County adults struggles with low literacy. That's 55,000 people.

Literacy Network was founded in 1974 and serves approximately 1,000 low-income adults each year in Dane County, Wisconsin. With more than 350 annual volunteers, we help adults achieve their goals through personalized education services and support.

The adults we support improve their skills in English language communications, reading comprehension, and use of information technology. As a result, they advance their careers, help their kids succeed in school, become U.S. citizens, understand health information, or obtain their high school diploma or other degrees.

We offer small classes and individual tutoring to personalize the learning experience for everyone we serve. We build strategic partnerships with schools, businesses, libraries and community organizations to serve local needs throughout our community.

Black Inspired

For over 30 years, Rev. Dr. Alex Gee has sought meaningful Black solutions for his native city of Madison. The Center is his vision – and the community’s conduit – for challenging structures that impede diversity and sustained Black advancement.

Black Designed

Listening sessions exclusively with the Black community, strategies formed by Black planners, and a space designed by Black architects ensure that Black thoughts share every facet of The Center’s creation.

Black Led

Black elders and youth are an anchor in our culture, and they will be an anchor in the facility. From fundraising to program development, Black leadership regardless of age is central to The Center’s success.

Capitalizing on over 100 years of combined experience of our partner organizations, LIFT Wisconsin is a collaboration between the Economic Justice Institute, Inc., Legal Action of Wisconsin, the UW Law School’s civil legal clinics, the Center for Patient Partnerships, and the Employment And Training Association (EATA). We are partnering with Ascendium and Lawyers for Learners to expand our reach.

The mission of LIFT Wisconsin is to provide efficient, technology driven legal assistance to clear civil legal barriers to economic prosperity for Wisconsin families, to transform legal and court systems to prevent economic drags, and to contribute to national reform movements to improve access to civil legal justice.

The Legal Tune Up can make it easy to identify and clear civil legal problems on your own, or with help from trusted professionals.

-Accesses public data to assist users with resolving civil legal issues

-Guides users step-by-step through the online process

-Auto-fills legal forms for court filings

-Enables e-signing and offers a convenient built-in mailing feature

-Directs people to the legal and employment services they may need or want

-Get tips to help with all types of driver’s license problems

Dear Diary (DD) provides mentoring services to Black girls to re-write the narrative of Black girlhood and Black womanhood. Our services are strategically curated based on the following core values:

*Self-Esteem

*Academic Achievement

*Professional Excellence

*Service

*Family Engagement

*Personal Development

Dear Diary Has Committed To Being A Liaison For Our Girls And Their Families, Schools, And Communities.

We are dedicated to offering support while challenging all parties to engage in dialogue and training that is uncomfortable, frightening, and taboo for the betterment of all groups. Our professional development is interactive, relevant, culturally-appropriate, specific, and useful.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison is geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing bikes to historically excluded communities in southern Wisconsin.

We’re striving towards transportation equity and deepening meaningful relationships with communities of color and low income populations in Dane County, Milwaukee County, Rock County, and Racine County. As an added bonus, we keep thousands of bikes out of the landfill by repurposing them into rideable bikes.

We’ve now given away over 8,200 bikes to new bike owners who may have never had the opportunity to experience the joys of owning their own bike. Since we give bikes to other nonprofits and schools, this includes 124 organizations that have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in free bikes. Our operation depends solely on grants, financial donations from individuals and corporations, and donations of gently used bikes that are no longer needed.

It costs about $125 for us to give our complete bike package to a kid. This includes a newly refurbished bike, a helmet, combo lock, headlight, taillight, and a pump. The $125 covers bike parts, paying our mechanics a livable wage, renting our workshop, purchasing helmets, locks, headlights, and marketing our program so we can continue to receive donations and support.

A LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS

2017 – 1,000 bikes to nonprofits and schools in Dane County

2018 – 1,100 bikes to nonprofits and schools in Dane County

2019 – 1,500 bikes to nonprofits and schools in Dane County

2020 – 1,000 bikes to kids and frontline workers working entry level positions

2021 – 2,021 bikes to nonprofits and schools in Dane County

2022 – 1,800+ bikes to nonprofits and schools in southern Wisconsin

8,249 lives impacted in Dane County since our first giveaway in 2017.

DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION

Sustain Dane’s vision is a thriving and inclusive community with a sustainable environment and economy we are proud to pass on to future generations. Our mission is to inspire, connect, and support people to accelerate equity and sustainable actions for community wellbeing.

Sustain Dane’s holistic definition of sustainability includes a healthy environment, a just economy, and equity & social well-being.

History:

Sustain Dane was founded in 1999 by a group of Madison community members including Brian Joiner, Niki McGlathery, Jennifer Olsen, and Per Kielland-Lund to create a more sustainable future for Dane County. They used the internationally recognized science-based sustainability framework called The Natural Step as their guide. In 2003, Sustain Dane received 501(c)(3) status and was officially recognized as a nonprofit. Sustain Dane programs have evolved over the years, positively impacting Dane County sustainability and wellbeing.

Since 1894, Madison Parks have added richness and vibrancy to the landscape of Madison. As the non-profit partner of Madison Parks, the Madison Parks Foundation helps our community conserve, promote, and enhance our parks. We exist to support Madison’s world-class parks system. In addition to our work helping neighborhoods steward improvements to their parks, we’ve identified three areas that advance our equity and programming goals for Madison's Parks.

Parks are for everyone! It is with that mind-set that the Madison Parks Foundation has started a fund to address the needs for programming and adding elements of accessibility across the community in our Madison Parks.

The Inclusion Fund is a focused effort to add features of accessibility to more of our parks & park programming like

wheelchair accessibility to beaches, fishing piers, nature trails, or dog parks, inclusive & adaptive programming to programs, all-terrain wheelchairs made available to allow nature exploration, large print signs that include braille and possible guide ropes, additional fully accessible playgrounds or splash pads that provide zero entry points to water and so much more that we have yet to envision.

With 4.5 million visits to our Madison Parks each year, this fund can and will have an impact on thousands of park users and their families for years to come.

We are proud to be fundraising for accessible playgrounds for people of all ages and abilities, including those with physical and cognitive disabilities, making our parks more inclusive and accessible. Our goal is to raise $300,000 towards this project which will provide 100,000 Madison households access to a fully accessible playground within a two-mile radius.

KNOW – Kids Need Opportunities at Warner

This program at Warner Park Community Recreation Center includes events such as Teen Night, Family Fun Night, an Angler (fishing) program, a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Series and open gym, which provide meaningful opportunities for youth to feel connected and engaged with our community. We have committed to raising $150,000 to insure complimentary and engaging programming continues.

Madison Parks Foundation's Learning Series

As sponsors of this program, we are able to offer fun activities in our parks such as bird watching, star gazing, disc golf and more at no cost, allowing people to use our parks and learn, regardless of income level. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to expand this program by purchasing additional equipment and supplies to allow more residents to participate, as well as sustain the programming for years to come.

Dog Parks

We are incredibly proud to be helping the City of Madison Parks Division by fundraising to expand and enhance Madison’s dog parks. Currently, there are 9 off-leash dog parks within the city of Madison. These parks range in size from 1/3 of an acre to 37 acres. Our goal is to raise funds that would allow the Parks Division to create 3 additional off-leash dog parks. These new parks would be located on the east side, near-east, and southwest areas of Madison.

Our mission is to provide older adults a bridge to successful aging. To ensure longer, healthier, and safer independent lives, NewBridge provides a variety of services and activities for older adults. Our services are free depending on your income.

The Mary Lou and Arthur F. Mahone Fund was created in 1999 to perpetuate the legacy of two dynamic change agents.

While possessing different leadership styles, both Mary Lou and Arthur were the most influential couple advocating for social justice in Kenosha. They were married 51 years and raised nine children.

Mary Lou Mahone, a native Kenoshan, was a bridge-builder, joining disparate sectors of the community to challenge racial discrimination and to create equal opportunity in education, healthcare, housing and labor. The first black PTA president in 1962, she was later appointed to the mayor’s committee, Concerned Citizens for Fair Housing, and the Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights. These efforts led to the city’s desegregation of housing and schools, as well as an increase in black teachers, police officers and civil servants.

A lifelong member, she served as president of the Racine-Kenosha NAACP chapter and held the office of state treasurer. She volunteered as president of Church Women United; chairman of the Interfaith Network for the Shalom Center Women’s Shelter; and charter board member of the Boys and Girls Club. A lifetime member at Second Baptist Church, she served on countless committees, including director of education.

Her employment with the Lincoln Neighborhood Center, the Urban League, and Community Action Agency enabled her to alleviate the suffering of people facing poverty by creating health and wellness, and Alcohol and Drug abuse intervention programs. In her later years, she developed the civic support group, Ethnic Elders, and served on the founding board of the Kenosha Community Health Center. In 2002, the Kenosha Unified School District named the newly built public school in her honor, the Mary Lou Mahone Middle School.

Arthur Freeman Mahone retired from Gateway Technical College as a Welding Instructor. He mentored young men from all walks of life through martial arts, teaching physical and mental discipline as a foundation to prepare for life’s challenges. He studied the Japanese language and became proficient in writing and speaking. Over the years, he participated in a variety of roundtable discussions on race and inclusion and volunteered on the Kenosha Unified School District Student Achievement Advisory committee. He was a member of the NAACP Kenosha branch.

Today, their civic and philanthropic legacy lives on in the footprints of the Mary Lou and Arthur F. Mahone Fund, under the leadership of their children and the dynamic Board of Directors. Please join us as we celebrate the life and contributions of Mary Lou and Arthur while creating sustainable and equitable opportunities for our young people.

Logan’s Heart and Smiles is a 100% volunteer run non-profit organization dedicated to improving homes and inspiring hope in families with children with special needs across southern Wisconsin. When Families do not have the substantial resources required to make necessary safety and accessibility modifications to their homes, they often have nowhere to turn for help. It is Logan’s Heart and Smiles mission and honor to help families in need by providing free labor and materials to help ease the burden these families face. Logan’s provides families with safer, accessible environments to support the needs of their children by constructing wheelchair ramps, safety fences, enlarged doorways, hand rails, bathroom modifications, and other custom home improvements.

https://www.logansheartandsmiles.org

About DAIS / Contacting DAIS

Since 1977, DAIS has worked passionately and effectively to ensure the safety and well-being of domestic violence survivors and their families, and to change societal attitudes that perpetuate violence and the abuse of power.

Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (or DAIS) believes that a world free from violence is possible. We work to make Dane County, WI, a safer, more just, more equitable place for people who have experienced domestic violence, their children, and the people who love them.

Our mission is to empower those affected by domestic violence and advocate for social change through support, education and outreach. Our vision is a nonviolent community that actively promotes safety, peace, justice and hope.

To make this happen, DAIS offers a wide array of crisis intervention and community education/prevention programs, including a 24-hour Help Line, programming for children from violent homes, legal advocacy, support groups, emergency safety planning, and the only domestic violence shelter for all of Dane County.

https://abuseintervention.org/

Gilda's Club provides a broad range of services to support those living with cancer. Members include adults and children; those who have a diagnosis of cancer, their loved ones, friends, and co-workers; survivors of cancer and family survivors.

Our mission is to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community.

Gilda's Club Madison does not charge any fees for programs or services. The expense of keeping our clubhouse open for those who need it is entirely supported by the generous donations from many.

http://www.gildasclubmadison.org

Family Service of Racine (FSR) is a nonprofit, state-certified, outpatient mental health clinic located in Racine, Wisconsin. We offer counseling services for individuals, couples, and families. We also offer several support groups and education classes.

Our Mission: The mission of FSR is to strengthen the social and emotional well-being of individuals and families.

Our Vision: The vision of FSR is to be an innovative provider of high quality, accessible educational services and mental health counseling for members of our community.

https://www.fsracine.org/

Founded on Nov. 16, 1948 as the Dane County Child Guidance Center with six employees, Journey has grown into a sizeable community mental health clinic with over 500 staff members. We are dedicated to innovation and cutting edge programs.

Our mission is to improve people’s lives by pioneering and sustaining effective mental health and substance use disorder services.

The vision of Journey Mental Health Center is to become a center of excellence for the provision of behavioral health services.

http://journeymhc.org

The mission of Canopy Center is to prevent child abuse and neglect, strengthen families, and promote healing of those affected by abuse through the provision of culturally competent and diverse professional volunteer and peer services. Below, you'll find an overview of each program under the umbrella of Canopy Center.

https://canopycenter.org

Since we opened our doors in 2009, More Smiles Wisconsin – formerly Madison Dental Initiative (MDI) – has always been more than just a dental clinic.

Each year, More Smiles touches thousands of lives. The statistics below capture a few of they ways More Smiles gives back to our community.

• reduce pain for veterans

• prevent children from missing school

• restore confidence to the unemployed

• remove worry from struggling families

• provide hope to the homeless

https://www.moresmileswi.org

The Foundation is committed to supporting the education of every child by raising private funds, awarding grants, developing community partnerships, and advocating for Madison’s public schools.

Supported by the Foundation, Madison will have excellent, well-funded public schools in which learning is celebrated and all students graduate ready for college, career, and community involvement.

https://fmps.org

Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a locally treasured and globally renowned source of beauty and education celebrating the importance of plants in a sustainable world.

The gardens enrich life by nourishing and sharing the beauty of gardens, the joy of gardening, the knowledge of plants, and the diversity of our world. Olbrich Botanical Gardens is dedicated to the creation, conservation and interpretation of gardens and plant collections hardy to the American Midwest or native to the world's tropical forests for study, enjoyment and public benefit.

http://www.olbrich.org

Underdog Pet Rescue is an all-breed companion animal rescue based out of Dane County, Wisconsin. Our mission is to find permanent homes for animals in need, and to enrich lives by strengthening the connection between animals and people through community services and outreach. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

In 2016, we were able to provide care for and adopt out 96% of the animals we transferred in. That means that of all the animals we took in, many of whom were sick and behaviorally unevaluated, 4% passed away of natural causes (i.e. failure to thrive in kittens) or were euthanized for severe behavioral or medical concerns.

https://www.underdogpetrescue.org

The Salvation Army exists to meet human need wherever, whenever, and however we can.

FIRST, we assess the needs of each community in which we serve. We work to understand the obstacles, hardships, and challenges native to the area's particular population.

NEXT, we build local programs designed to offer immediate relief, short-term care, and long-term growth in the areas that will best benefit the community.

THEN, we offer the local programs to the local community, working to continually optimize their efficacy via spiritual, physical, and emotional service.

https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/danecounty/

Reach Dane provides high-quality early childhood services to over 1,000 children ages 0-5 in Dane County through center based and home visitation programs. Our mission is to change the lives of underserved children and families through education and supportive services. Our staff work tirelessly every day to reach the most vulnerable children and families in our community, and the need for our services is growing. The number of infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness enrolled in our programs has tripled over the last four years. Last year, Reach Dane served more homeless children than any other Head Start program in Wisconsin.

We are the only agency in Dane County offering Early Head Start and Head Start, which provides a comprehensive system of support for families including physical and mental health, dental services, nutrition, and transportation. All of Reach Dane’s 15 centers are rated 5 stars in Young Star. In fact, Reach Dane enrolled 36% of all the Dane County children attending 5-Star centers who received a state child care subsidy.

We offer a variety of program options designed to meet the individual needs of families. One program, Satellite Family Child Care (SFCC), is so unique that there is no other program of its kind in the country. SFCC provides city accreditation to family child care providers in the City of Madison, ensuring that providers have the support and resources they need to provide the highest quality programming for the children in their care.

https://www.reachdane.org

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is an independent organization that exhibits, collects, and preserves modern and contemporary art to provide transformative experiences that educate, reflect, and inspire us as individuals and a community.

Following 105 years of presenting exhibitions and education programs in borrowed and refurbished spaces, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art opened to the public on April 23, 2006, in a brand new facility connected to Overture Center for the Arts.

Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the museum’s exhilarating facility offers 51,500 square feet of interior space, as well as a 7,100-square-foot rooftop sculpture garden. Public amenities include spacious galleries, a 230-seat lecture hall, a children’s classroom, a new-media gallery, and a study center for drawings, prints, and photographs. The facility was made possible by the extraordinary generosity of W. Jerome Frautschi, a long-time friend of the museum.

https://www.mmoca.org

At GiGi’s Playhouse, all ages are welcome, from pre-natal to adults. The positive and uplifting environment of GiGi’s Playhouse Madison will empower those with Down syndrome and their families to reach their highest potential. GiGi’s Playhouse’s custom, research-based curriculum works towards advancing literacy, math skills, gross and fine motor skills, improving low muscle tone, building self-esteem, preparing for the workforce and more while fostering acceptance, awareness and networking resources for parents, siblings and the community. All programs are FREE of charge: cost will not be a barrier to achievement!

https://gigisplayhouse.org/

Badger Honor Flight is a regional affiliate of the national Honor Flight Network. The purpose of the Honor Flight Network is to ensure that World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and terminally ill Veterans from any war have the opportunity to see the memorials that have been erected in their honor. Badger Honor Flight provides all amenities to the Veterans, including all transportation, shirts, jackets, hats, and meals. Everything is free to the Veterans because of how much they have sacrificed for this great country already. The only money Veterans need is if they want to buy a souvenir for themselves.

https://www.badgerhonorflight.org

Lily’s Fund is a volunteer-led nonprofit organization. Through the support of generous volunteers and sponsors, we celebrate and support epilepsy research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

One in 26 of us will develop epilepsy in our lifetimes.

More people suffer from epilepsy than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s Disease combined, yet epilepsy research funding totals less than half of any one of those other conditions.

Seizures affect our families, friends, neighbors, seniors, military veterans, infants and children … including a teenager named Lily. With her as our inspiration, we bring epilepsy out of the shadows, in hopes of spurring more investment in research here at the UW-Madison.

Since its inception in 2007, Lily’s Fund for Epilepsy Research has flourished, thanks to the volunteers, donors, friends, and businesses who have embraced our cause.

https://lilysfund.org

MOM was established in 1980 by a local church in the community to care for the basic needs of some of the area's residents. Over time, multiple faith congregations joined forces to meet the growing demand in the West Madison, Middleton and Cross Plains areas.

In 2007, MOM transitioned into a business-based organization both at the Board and leadership levels. Individuals, businesses, organizations, and faith communities all continue to provide financial and business support to the work of MOM.

Middleton Outreach Ministry, Inc., is a registered 501(c)3 organization. MOM also is a partner agency of United Way of Dane County.

MOM brings our community together to create food and housing security through action and advocacy.

Our vision is a community where everyone has the stability to thrive.

MOM serves all of the Middleton Cross Plains School District, and the part of the west side of Madison (west of Midvale Blvd and north of the beltline.)

https://momhelps.org

The No Stomach For Cancer Mission is to support research and unite the caring power of people worldwide affected by stomach cancer.

We care about the health and well-being of those affected by stomach cancer and envision a world without stomach cancer.

https://www.nostomachforcancer.org/

Second Harvest Foodbank exists to end hunger in southwestern Wisconsin.

We work together with hundreds of local hunger-relief charities to provide the peace-of-mind people get when they know they have enough food. We are dedicated to providing healthy and nutritious food to those we serve (see our Healthy Food Policy). A member of Feeding America, we are part of a nationwide network of member food banks and the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

https://www.secondharvestmadison.org

Operation Fresh Start (OFS) provides a path forward for disconnected youth in Dane County, ages 16-24, through education, mentoring, and employment training. OFS programs offer youth and young adults opportunities to gain meaningful, supported work experience, while completing their high school diploma or completing industry certifications and continuing on to higher education and/or self-sustaining employment.

http://www.operationfreshstart.org/

Founded in 1985, ARTS for ALL Wisconsin is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that expands the capabilities, confidence, and quality of life for children and adults with disabilities by providing programs in dance, drama, creative writing, music, and visual art.

We believe experiences in the arts enhance personal growth, increase educational achievement and enable career success

The arts are a universal and essential language that challenge people to respond to the world, to look beyond themselves, and to celebrate the diversity of human society by building bridges between people, across cultures and through generations

Participation in the arts by individuals with disabilities promotes acceptance and inclusion in all aspects of life.

https://www.artsforallwi.org/