Grants

The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation focuses on providing support for physician-led, community-based or statewide programs to improve health through education and outreach.

The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation will support primarily high-impact, high visibility programs that support the Foundation’s mission.

Foundation Community Grant applications are due annually on the last Friday of September.
 

Funding Preferences

Funding preference is for physician-championed, evidence-based health initiatives or pilot projects with measurable outcomes. Our overarching goal is to improve health equity in Wisconsin through projects that address issues such as, but not limited to, the following:

• Health literacy
• Health access and equity
• Health awareness
• Adverse childhood experiences reduction or mitigation
• Mental, behavioral and addiction health access and prevention services
• Disease prevention (including school or community gardens)
• Medical outcomes research and/or interpretation and dissemination of the research
• Other health topics. (Projects must be evidence-based or new/innovative pilots.)

 
Limited funding is available for projects specifically addressing:

• Physician education
• Medical outcomes research and/or interpretation and dissemination of the research
• Other health topics. (Projects must be evidence-based or new/innovative pilots.)

 
Other preferences are for initiatives that:

• Promote changes to modifiable factors affecting health
• Are new or innovative
• Focus on prevention
• Are well-defined and reasonable to be accomplished within the grant period
• Have a plan to become self-sustaining, if multi-year
• Promote collaborations/partnerships
• Involve or are supported by a physician member of the Wisconsin Medical Society

Funding Restrictions

In general, the Foundation does not grant funds for:

• Unrestricted general operating expenses;
• The use and payment for services of a fiscal agent;
• Endowment funds;
• Religious organizations for religious purposes;
• Fund raising activities or events (i.e. annual fund drives, benefit tickets);
• Umbrella funding organizations that intend to distribute funds at their own discretion;
• Political lobbying or legislative activities;
• Individuals; and
• Capital expenditures (i.e. building repairs, etc.).

Selection Process

Deadline for Programs
Proposals must be received in the Foundation Office, 2450 Rimrock Road, Suite 101, Madison, WI 53713 by 4:30 p.m. on the last Friday of September.

Notification
Notifications will not go out until the second week of December.
 

Miscellaneous

1. The Foundation Board of Trustees or their designees are the only agents who may legally commit the Foundation to the expenditures of funds for this project. No costs chargeable to the proposed grant may be reimbursed before receipt of a fully executed letter of agreement.
2. The applicant may subcontract with other entities to implement the approved project, however:
   1. The application must identify and include the role of and budget for the subcontractor(s). Include the hourly rate for all subcontractors.
   2. The applicant must deal directly with such entities and be responsible for their performance and payment.
3. Grantees must acknowledge the “Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation” in printed materials, press releases and published materials, as appropriate. Copies must be provided to the Foundation in a timely manner.
4. Applicants who are awarded a grant must sign a letter of agreement stipulating the following:
   1. Significant changes in the scope, time or budget for the project will be communicated to the Grants Committee through the Foundation’s Program Coordinator as soon as known.
   2. That all funding sources for the project applied for be disclosed fully.
   3. That funding not specifically used for this project be returned to the Foundation at the end of the timeline included in this grant application as approved by the Foundation Board of Trustees.
   4. That a final report be filed noting the precise outcomes and costs that might be of aid to others attempting to replicate your work. (See report guidelines.)