Nonprofit organizations receive over $98,000 in funding to impact women, girls in Northeast Wisconsin

The Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay announces summer 2026 grant recipients.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay is proud to announce the grant recipients from the Fund’s summer grant cycle. Grants are awarded twice per year, and in each cycle, the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation invites fundholders to co-invest in applications that align with their giving goals. During this cycle, fundholders contributed over $11,000, boosting the total amount awarded.

The Women’s Fund awards funds to organizations with programs and services that positively impact women and girls in our community. Grants are awarded based on a competitive application process which includes a review by a grants team of community volunteers. Learn more about the grant funds at https://womensfundgb.org/what-we-fund/.

Members of the media interested in scheduling an interview with a representative from the Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay and one of the grantees about the impact of the grant funding should contact Amanda Gay at amandagay@ggbcf.org.

About the Women’s Fund Summer 2026 Grant Recipients:

Achieve Brown County – Achieve Brown County will design and pilot a Parent Leadership Program. Inspired by successful models in Milwaukee and the Fox Valley, the program will equip parents, mostly mothers, with leadership skills, relationships, and opportunities to participate in shaping decisions affecting children and families.
Bay Area Workforce Development Board – Transitions to Success is a collaborative of six Brown County organizations working together to help youth involved with the child welfare system achieve stability and independence. Funding will support their Girls United programming, for youth ages 10–17 who identify as female. Through mentoring, group activities, and skill-building, participants strengthen confidence, resilience, healthy relationships, emotional regulation, leadership, and decision-making. Funding will expand access, reduce barriers, and help at-risk girls build healthy, successful futures.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin will expand mentorship for girls navigating adversity in Brown County. Currently, there are 41 girls are waiting for a caring female mentor. This funding will help match more girls with dedicated Bigs, fostering greater confidence, stronger mental health, and a clearer path toward their full potential.
Casa ALBA Melanie, Hispanic Community Resource Center – Funding will be used for healing circle sessions, designed specifically for women who want to cultivate resilience traits like courage, adaptability, self-trust, and emotional strength. The trauma-informed program is led by a community-centered therapist who provides structured support in emotional wellness, parenting adolescents, boundary setting, self-care, and healing from chronic stress and trauma. The culturally grounded, linguistically accessible space allows women to connect authentically, build trust, and strengthen emotional resilience.
Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin – Green Bay – Funding will launch Women Rising, an intergenerational empowerment program for girls and women with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities, along with mothers and female caregivers. Through mentorship, leadership development, wellness activities, and peer connection, participants will improve self-esteem, build confidence, strengthen relationships, develop self-advocacy skills, and grow as leaders in their families and communities.
Encompass Early Education and Care – Encompass’ Family and Child Advocate Program provides wraparound support that helps single mothers overcome barriers to stable childcare, employment, and family well-being. Family and Child Advocates connect women with resources for childcare, housing, transportation, food, healthcare, and other basic needs while supporting children’s developmental and behavioral success. The program currently serves 98 families, with 73% led by single mothers and 77% receiving financial assistance. Since launching in 2018, the program has increased retention among at risk families from 6 months to 37 months, helping more women remain employed, pursue education, and provide long term stability for their children.
Freedom House Ministries – Over eighty percent of families served by Freedom House are single-mother-led. Funding will supplement family barrier removal, including shelter services, basic needs assistance, Success Coaching, educational programs, social and emotional wellness, workforce coaching, and housing navigation. Freedom House walks alongside each family individually to empower them with skills and resources to regain stability through dignity and self-worth.
Girls on the Run Northeast Wisconsin – Girls on the Run inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident through dynamic programming combining physical activity and life skills. Support from the Women’s Fund will help them expand proven outreach with a focus on Brown County locations where demand is strong. Their low- or no-cost programming is offered through school and community partnerships.
Greater Green Bay YMCA – The Greater Green Bay YMCA is launching STEM Sisters, a hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math program for approximately 200 elementary school girls participating in YMCA afterschool programs. The program will serve students at five Green Bay elementary schools with large numbers of children from low-income households, English Language Learners, and students receiving special education services. Funding will help girls build confidence, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills while introducing them to STEM learning and future career opportunities during the years when interest in these subjects often begins to decline. The program will also engage an estimated 300 to 400 family members through STEM Family Nights.
HER Alliance – HER Alliance provides trauma informed services for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking in Brown County through case management, survivor advocacy, prevention education, jail outreach, and basic needs assistance. The organization connects women and girls to housing, healthcare, mental health services, employment resources, and other supports that promote long term healing and stability. Funding will provide general operating support to sustain these services and expand organizational capacity to meet growing demand. HER Alliance expects to directly serve approximately 100 vulnerable women and girls through survivor services, prevention education, mentoring, and life skills programming.
House of Hope Green Bay – General operating support helps sustain critical services for young parents and children experiencing homelessness amid a 40% increase in demand. Flexible funding allows House of Hope to maintain a 24/7 shelter and housing program, bridge gaps left by restricted grants, and respond quickly to families, 70% of whom have experienced trauma. This investment will help youth achieve safety, stability, and long-term housing success.
LOTUS Legal Clinic – LOTUS Legal Clinic is Wisconsin’s only nonprofit law firm exclusively serving survivors of human trafficking and sexual violence. Funding will support free, trauma-informed, survivor-centered legal representation, victims’ rights advocacy, and creative writing workshops that promote healing, resilience, and long-term stability for these survivors located in Greater Green Bay.
Midwest Survivor Institute – Funding will expand Anything with Friends: Demystifying AI, a trauma-informed, community-based learning program that empowers women and older girls with the digital skills needed to thrive in today’s technology-driven world. Hands-on use of artificial intelligence increases comfort searching for employment, accessing healthcare, managing finances, pursuing education, and connecting with community resources in a safe environment.
Safe Families for Children–Green Bay/Fox Cities – Safe Families for Children provides relationship-based support that surrounds women in crisis, particularly single mothers, with caring relationships and practical assistance that help families move from instability to resilience. Funding will support the recruitment and training of volunteers who provide mentoring, childcare, transportation, emotional support, and temporary care for children. The grant is expected to serve approximately 350 individuals, with nearly 97% of participating parents being mothers, most of whom are single parents living at or below the federal poverty level.
The Gathering Place – The Gathering Place’s Women’s Recovery & Wellness Program provides women with a safe, peer-led environment offering weekly support, individualized peer support, wellness activities, personal growth opportunities, and community connection. Funding will support Certified Peer Specialist staffing, program implementation, participant engagement, outreach, and wellness activities, creating a sustainable program that fosters recovery, belonging, and overall well-being.
YWCA of Greater Green Bay – YWCA of Greater Green Bay’s Women Empowerment Center (WEC) is a welcoming space where women build skills, gain confidence, and connect to resources at no cost. WEC programming is expanding to include paid work experience for women at the Center’s Career Closet and Madison Street Boutique. Funds will support three cohorts of women who will build job skills, self-esteem, and leadership through peer mentoring, training, and access to the WEC work readiness programming and resources.