Senator Baldwin Delivers for South Central Wisconsin in Government Funding Legislation

SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN – Wisconsin leaders are applauding U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s (D-WI) work to secure support for South Central Wisconsin in this year’s annual funding legislation. In total, Senator Baldwin secured over $260 million in direct support for over 80 community-driven projects across Wisconsin in the first and second bipartisan funding packages which were signed into law last month.

“I worked hard to secure funding to support projects across South Central Wisconsin that will improve the lives of working families. With this funding, we’re expanding access to affordable housing, tackling food insecurity, keeping communities safe, and growing our economy,” said Senator Baldwin. “These community-driven projects address some of our most pressing challenges and help chart the course for a brighter future.”

Senator Baldwin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured funding for the following community-driven projects in South Central Wisconsin:

The River Food Pantry

$3,000,000 to support construction of a new food pantry facility with the capacity to annually serve over 13,000 people from low-income and underserved communities throughout Dane County.

“This is incredible news for The River Food Pantry in our fight against rising food insecurity throughout Dane County. As our community’s need for food assistance grows, so does The River’s need for a bigger building that will allow us to expand our services to keep up with record-breaking demand,” said Rhonda Adams, River Food Pantry’s Executive Director. “This generous funding will support the construction of a larger food pantry for The River within a food desert on Madison’s north side. With three times more space than our current building, The River’s new facility will be purpose-built to provide greater capacity and improved efficiency to better meet the community’s rapidly rising needs for healthy food and essential resources. We are immensely grateful for this substantial support to help us serve more Dane County households in need for many years to come.”

The Center for Black Excellence

$2,500,000 to support planning and construction of the Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, providing space dedicated to Black enterprise, art, history, performance, and culture.

“We greatly appreciate Senator Baldwin as an early champion for The Center for Black Excellence and Culture. Her leadership is of immense importance to the creation of The Center and creating a community where all people thrive. Unique in the country, The Center will transform the quality of life for proud Black Wisconsinites in our state and become a model for our nation,” said Rev. Dr. Alex Gee, CEO and Founder of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture.

Boys & Girls Club of Janesville

$500,000 for construction of a new facility for the Boys & Girls Club.

“We are beyond grateful for Senator Baldwin’s support of investing CDS funding to help us build a new, state of the art facility for our Janesville youth. During a time of critical childcare shortages coupled with young people struggling academically and emotionally, our new facility will allow us to triple our capacity and expand our nationally developed programming to prepare our local youth to be our next workforce and community leaders,” said Rebecca Veium, Chief Executive Officer of Boys and Girls Club of Janesville.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

$1,000,000 to improve agriculture research facilities.

“Federal funding allows the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences to research questions that are important to Wisconsin farmers and all types of food businesses. We are very pleased to see additional funding for several important collaborations between our scientists and Wisconsin farmers, growers and food processors. This investment allows us to improve needed agricultural research infrastructure for facilities and collaborations,” said Glenda Gillaspy, Dean and Director of UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “Thanks to these funds, our Center for Dairy Research will be able to continue to partner with dairy processors to expand local businesses and introduce new dairy products to consumers and we will be able to expand the work of our Rural Partnership Institute, which supports collaborative research projects focused on health, climate resilience, tribal food systems and rural livability in Wisconsin communities.”

City of Lancaster

$1,125,000 to renovate the Fire and EMS Station.

“We are very excited to hear that our request has been funded. The project will make critical upgrades to our fire station to improve safety and allow us to meet the public safety needs of our community. We are very grateful for the opportunity,” said Steve Braun, Lancaster Fire Chief.

Green County Family YMCA

$1,000,000 to support facility expansion construction to include new childcare and youth development centers, health living center, community kitchen, fitness classrooms, and programming spaces for seniors and youth.

“On behalf of the entire Green County Family YMCA, I extend our heartfelt thank you to Senator Baldwin and her unwavering commitment to our mission of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. We are truly humbled and grateful for the Senator’s support, and we look forward to the incredible possibilities that lie ahead as we work together to build a healthier, happier, and more inclusive community for all,” said Trent Henning, Executive Director of the Green County Family YMCA.

Village of Loganville

$750,000 for main street sewer and water upgrade during reconstruction of State Trunk Highway 23.

“The Village of Loganville is very grateful and thankful to Senator Baldwin and her team, for the funds that she worked hard to allocate for our water and sewer infrastructure project,” said Russ Lankey, Village of Loganville Board President.

Urban League of Madison

$500,000 for the Black Business Hub to support small business and entrepreneur programming.

“We are thankful for the Congressional Directed Spending request that Senator Baldwin put forward, on behalf of the Urban League of Greater Madison, to help small businesses. In Dance County, of the 10,000 businesses with more than one employee, approximately forty of them are Black owned businesses,” said Ruben L. Anthony, Jr., Ph.D., President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison. “In many instances, access to training and timely capital serves as a barrier to the growth and survival of minority owned businesses. These funds will help sustain the Black Business Hub’s Accelerator program and provide access to the much-needed capital and training. Senator, thank you for your commitment to help grow Wisconsin’s economy.”

Family Health La Clinica

$2,000,000 to support expansion of Family Health La Clinica with a newly renovated community health center serving south-central Wisconsin.

“This funding will have a profound impact on access to healthcare in Beaver Dam and the surrounding region. Family Health La Clinica is extremely grateful that Senator Baldwin had included them in her appropriations requests and will use this funding to reduce healthcare barriers as well as ensure access to high quality integrated healthcare and promote the well-being of our patients, staff, and communities. Thank you, Senator Baldwin!” said Family Health La Clinica.

Portage Recovery Center

$100,000 to expand access to family peer support, individual peer support, referral services, and programming for individuals in recovery and their families.

“We are deeply appreciative of Senator Baldwin’s support for the Harbor Recovery Center. Our community, like our state and nation, continues to be impacted by the drug crisis,” said Tom Drury, Co-founder of Harbor Recovery Center. “This funding, combined with the generosity of our local donors and supporters, will help us to continue providing much needed resources to the individuals and families we are serving.”

Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce

$5,000,000 for the Latino Economic Gateway dedicated to supporting businesses and entrepreneurs in Wisconsin start, grow, and scale their businesses.

“We are thrilled to receive this generous funding, which will enable us to expand our efforts in supporting Latino entrepreneurs and fostering a more inclusive business environment,” said Jorge Antezana, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce. “This investment represents a significant milestone in our mission to empower businesses and strengthen Latino and diverse communities across Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin Emergency Management

$525,000 towards the replacement of video display in the Wisconsin’s State Emergency Operations Center, supporting the mission critical facility activated during large-scale emergencies in order to coordinate the state response to affected communities.

“The upgrades made to technology in the State Emergency Operations Center will help us fulfill our mission to provide critical assistance to Wisconsin communities during times of disaster,” said Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Greg Engle. “I would like to thank Senator Baldwin for acquiring federal funding that helps make these improvements possible.”

Richland Hospital

$4,640,000 for hospital and medical clinic facilities and equipment.

City of Richland Center

$2,500,000 to extend water and sewer infrastructure to Richland Hospital.

Village of Rock Springs

$600,000 to implement an economic recovery project, which includes transportation improvements to support a business district.

UW-Madison

$2,000,000 to establish a regional center to combat the fentanyl crisis.

Village of Windsor

$500,000 for the DeForest Windsor Fire and EMS District.

Briarpatch Youth Services

$400,000 to support therapeutic and clinical counseling for youth who are experiencing homelessness.

Columbia County Health and Human Services

$1,000,000 to support construction of a mental health and substance abuse clinic.

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