As you know from our announcements, emails, and tweets, we are giving away a grant for a great mission-driven performance effort. Well, the applications came in, and we narrowed it down to the final 6. Below are the summaries of the finalist stories. All the applications were inspiring, so thank you everyone that applies. It gives us inspiration to continue to help mission-driven organizations.

Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs

The mission of Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs is to end violence against women. We give voice to diverse women who are battered by translating their experiences into innovative programs and institutional changes that centralize victim safety. We partner with communities worldwide to inspire the social and political will to eliminate violence against women and their families.

Concordia Place

Concordia Place is a non-profit organization with a mission to create involved communities where all our neighbors can gather, learn, and grow. Early learning and preschool (ages 0-5), after-school and summer camp (ages 6-12), Emerging Leaders (ages 13-18), adult learning, and senior services provide growth and community connectedness for all of our neighbors. Concordia Place was founded in 1981 as a non-denominational 501c3 nonprofit to administer community programs of Concordia Lutheran Church.

Foundation for Early Learning

The Foundation for Early Learning is a public foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the learning of children, birth through age five. Research shows that one out of every two children entering kindergarten is not prepared for school. Our goal is to eliminate this preparation gap and to ensure that every child is ready socially, emotionally and intellectually to succeed in school. We do this by providing grants and publications to ensure all children have a strong start to school.

Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin

Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider of services for individuals with special needs. Easter Seals offers help, hope and solutions for over 10,000 children and adults living with disabilities, and their families across their life span. We are a values based agency and our goal is to impact the community and our program participants through personalized services that reflect values of love, compassion, honesty, patience, and respect and honors the dignity and desires of each individual.

RARE

Rare trains local conservation leaders all over the world to change the way their communities relate to nature. Our signature method is called a "Pride campaign" – so named because it inspires people to take pride in the species and habitats that make their community unique, while also introducing practical alternatives to environmentally destructive practices. Rare and its partners in 50+ countries are committed to designing conservation programs that benefit both people and nature – ensuring that change is embraced and sustained.

Su Casa Columbus

The mission of Su Casa Columbus is to achieve successful integration between both the Latin American/Hispanic people and the Bartholomew County community by promoting education, cross-cultural interaction, information exchange, and cultural awareness. First and foremost, Su Casa Columbus offers referrals to existing community services that may be helpful to newly arriving Latinos. Secondly, Su Casa Columbus provides an introduction to the Community. Su Casa Columbus is constantly developing projects and activities that serve the community.