MILWAUKEE, WI – Bader Philanthropies, Inc. awarded an emergency grant of $20,000 to St. Francis Children’s Center (SFCC) to allow the nonprofit organization to continue to pay staff wages during the Safer at Home Order resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic. While the building has been closed since March 13, staff have been working remotely to provide important resources to families, create lesson plans, organize virtual support groups and utilize training opportunities during the closure.
“During the Safer at Home Order, our team is working diligently to ensure that families who have children with special needs are wrapped in a network of support,” explained Executive Director Mara Dučkens. “We are able to continue this important work because of the generosity of Bader Philanthropies, who approaches grantmaking as a community partner. During this unprecedented time, it is so encouraging to know that we are not in this alone.”
Besides keeping employees on their payroll, the generous grant from Bader Philanthropies will also support SFCC as they absorb an unplanned loss of more than $100,000 in April 2020. SFCC has applied for federal loan assistance through the Small Business Administration (SBA) but has not received approval yet. In the meantime, SFCC continues to seek philanthropic gifts to help them support their staff and families during the extension of the Safer at Home Order through May 26.
About St. Francis Children’s Center: Our mission is to serve and educate children with special needs in
inclusive environments enabling them to reach their greatest potential. Since 1968, SFCC has served as a trusted and respected resource in the field of special education in southeastern Wisconsin, touching the lives of more than 33,000 children and their families throughout the Milwaukee area.
About Bader Philanthropies, Inc.: Since its founding in 1992, Bader Philanthropies, Inc. has committed more than $300 million in grants and program related investments in a variety of issue areas that improve the quality of life of people – young and old — living in neighborhoods in Milwaukee, rural Wisconsin and abroad.