The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) is committed to strengthening the organizations working to improve the health and well-being of Wisconsin residents—and that work extends beyond funding.
Through AHW's partnership with Catchafire, a skills-based volunteering platform, all AHW-funded partners—both community-led organizations and MCW researchers—and Wisconsin health departments have free access to a network of nearly 90,000 professionals ready to lend their expertise for virtual, high-impact support.
Free Expert Support for AHW Partners and Local Health Departments
Catchafire connects organizations with skilled volunteers across a wide range of disciplines, including marketing, IT, finance, design, fundraising, human resources, and more. Organizations can choose from 150+ ready-to-go projects or arrange one-on-one consultations for quick expert advice.
On average, organizations are matched with a volunteer within five days of posting a project. Since 2022, AHW-supported organizations have saved more than $677,000 in resources and benefited from more than 2,500 volunteer hours through this collaboration.
Curious what that looks like in practice? See how AHW partners are using Catchafire to move their missions forward:
New: Grant Support Projects Now Available
For organizations working to sustain and grow their programs, grants are often a primary and highly competitive source of funding. But the grant process is demanding. Researching the right funders, developing compelling proposals, and submitting polished applications requires time, skill, and bandwidth that lean teams don't always have. A missed opportunity or a weak application can mean the difference between a program moving forward or losing traction.
For these reasons, Catchafire recently launched five new, pre-scoped projects, specifically designed to support grant-seeking organizations, a first for the platform. These projects are available now to all eligible AHW-funded partners and local health departments at no cost:
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Grant Readiness: Assess your organization's readiness to apply for grants and identify gaps to address before you start.
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Grant Prospect Research: Get help identifying funders that align with your mission and priorities.
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Grant Proposal Template Development: Work with a volunteer to build reusable proposal templates tailored to your organization.
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Proposal Review: Have a skilled volunteer review a draft proposal and provide constructive feedback before you submit.
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Grant Application Review: Get a thorough review of a complete grant application to strengthen your final submission.
Together, these projects cover the full arc of the grant process—so whether your organization is just beginning to explore grant funding or is already deep in the application process, there's a project designed to meet you where you are.
Getting Started with Catchafire
AHW wants to make sure every eligible organization is taking full advantage of this resource. Once registered, you can post as many projects as you'd like, and a Catchafire nonprofit advisor is available to help you navigate the platform and make the most of your membership.
If you haven't registered yet, or if it's been a while since you've logged in, now is a great time to explore everything Catchafire has to offer.
Visit info.ahwendowment.org/catchafire to register or log in today.
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