FY25 Community and Member Designated Project Requests
**Note: none of these were enacted into law**
Community Project Funding - FY2025
City of Middleton, WI Graber Greenway Project
Recipient: City of Middleton
Amount Requested: $525,000
Description: The City of Middleton requests $525,000 for the Graber Greenway project to establish a continuous greenway between Graber Pond and the Pheasant Branch Conservancy, surrounding the existing drainageway with conservancy lands and enhanced stormwater management facilities. This project will reduce damage caused by floods and other natural disasters, both locally and throughout the City of Middleton. The City plans to increase resiliency in this area by utilizing stormwater practices will help reduce soil erosion, improve soil health, increase wildlife habitat, and improve water quality both locally and across the City of Middleton.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Mount Horeb, WI Rural Community Health & Employment Services Facility Construction Project
Recipient: Madison Area Rehabilitation Centers (MARC), Inc.
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Description: The Madison Area Rehabilitation Centers requests $1,000,000 to support the construction of a new facility to provide essential health and employment services for adults with developmental disabilities in a rural community. The new facility will double the number of individuals with disabilities receiving care, reduce the number of individuals waiting for services, create direct support jobs boosting the local economy, and enable more people with disabilities to receive job coaching supports in the community. MARC is one of the only Medicaid providers in the Village of Mount Horeb and surrounding rural counties serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Plain, WI Sauk Prairie Healthcare Rural Clinic Construction Project
Recipient: Sauk Prairie Healthcare, Inc.
Amount Requested: $3,320,000
Description: Sauk Prairie Healthcare requests $3,320,000 to support the construction of a new facility to replace the current rural health clinic in Plain, Wisconsin that is at capacity and unable to offer new, in-person services. The new facility will offer expanded access to primary medical care in a rural community and will add critically needed behavioral health services. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because this new building would address critical shortages in behavioral health access, reduce waiting periods for behavioral health appointments, increase capacity for routine primary care medical services, and enhance suicide prevention efforts in Sauk county, while also offering increased health industry job opportunities.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: Youth Crime Prevention, Education, and Awareness Project
Recipient: Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Description: Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County requests $500,000 for an initiative focused on guiding youth away from incarceration, improving their overall well-being, and fostering their career and educational goals. This program will incorporate mentorship, skill-building, and education around crime prevention strategies to reduce repeat offenses, increase participation in education, and encourage positive contributions to their community. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because it will benefit local law enforcement by keeping at-risk youth out of the criminal justice system, steering youth who have already been incarcerated away from recidivism, and prepare youth to engage more fully in education and career preparation.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: UW-Madison Criminal Justice Forensic Assistance Project
Recipient: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Amount Requested: $2,820,000
Description: The University of Wisconsin-Madison requests $2,820,000 to support a Criminal Justice Forensic Assistance Project within the Law School which improves and aids the criminal justice system through forensic analysis, DNA testing, and expert research. Each case requires countless hours searching for evidence, interview work, research, and analysis, and this funding would enable the program to take on additional cases. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because the Forensic Assistance Program can further improve the criminal justice system, increase prosecutions’ accuracy, and generally help legal systems across the state enforce laws.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: UW-Madison Entrepreneurship Science Lab’s Statistical Analysis for Rapid Commercialization of University Ideas and Research (STARCUIR) Initiative
Recipient: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Amount Requested: $4,990,729
Description: UW-Madison requests $4,990,729 to generate new research at UW-Madison that can be applied to increase the number of economically impactful companies formed in Madison and across the state of Wisconsin by students and recent graduates of UW-Madison. Specifically, the research will generate new data science and statistical research methods that will seek to discover new ways to facilitate the more rapid commercialization of university-originated ideas and technologies, including those in fields such as automation, electronics, advanced materials, biotechnology, and optical technologies. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because it supports data and statistical research development to help bring innovative scientific and technological research projects at UW-Madison to market by optimizing methods for commercialization of university research.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: Innovation Center Stoughton Youth and Young Adult STEM Education Project
Recipient: Innovation Center Stoughton, Inc.
Amount Requested: $500,000
Description: Innovation Center Stoughton requests $500,000 to establish a regional innovation center to provide youth and young adult STEM education and programming, including in robotics, automation, advanced materials design, and additive manufacturing, in south-central Wisconsin. Current schools often do not have the capacity to provide STEM education in advanced tech fields, especially those aligned with NASA’s mission. Innovation Center Stoughton’s youth and young adult STEM education project will provide the space and educational programming that schools systems cannot, especially in rural areas that will be reached by the ICS project.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: Green County Sheriff’s Office Equipment Upgrade Project
Recipient: Green County Sheriff’s Office
Amount Requested: $161,500
Description: The Green County Sheriff's Office requests $163,000 to support procurement of vital scanning equipment to improve the safety and security of individuals and staff at the county corrections facility. Upgraded scanning technology will enable local law enforcement to significantly reduce the presence of dangerous narcotics, including opioids, and other contraband materials in the facility, while simultaneously reducing the need for invasive physical searches. The acquisition of this equipment will better protect members of the public and law enforcement while improving the humane treatment of individuals as they are processed into the facility.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: Juvenile Justice Prevention & Education for At-Risk LGBTQ+ Youth
Recipient: First Congregational United Church of Christ
Amount Requested: $125,000
Description: The First Congregational United Church of Christ requests $125,000 to support the creation of a Juvenile Justice Prevention and Education for at-Risk LGTBQ+ Youth program within the Church’s Children and Youth Ministry. Funding would allow for programming specifically geared toward at-risk LGBTQ+ youth to educate them on the risk factors they face, including increased risk of homelessness, drug use, and mental health challenges, and to equip them with the tools and resources they need to navigate their unique life challenges and stay on the path toward educational success and opportunity.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: City of Mineral Point Lead Service Line Replacement
Recipient: City of Mineral Point
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Description: The funding would be used to replace lead and galvanized service lines connected to the City’s water system to achieve zero lead in test results by the beginning of 2027. Water service lines connecting private plumbing to the City's water infrastructure are a key contributor to lead in a residence's or business's drinking water. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because it would combat the immediate health concerns facing the community regarding lead in drinking water.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: City of Edgerton Veterans Park Site Improvements Project
Recipient: City of Edgerton
Amount Requested: $400,000
Description: The City of Edgerton requests $400,000 to support a planned site improvement project at the Edgerton Veterans' Park. Specifically, the requested funding would enable the city to construct a multi-purpose park shelter that would provide a for a covered location for family gatherings and community events, including farmers’ markets and other small business activities, as well as local holiday celebrations. Funding will also support increasing accessibility of this space through the addition of an ADA-standard ramp and wheelchair-accessible bathroom stalls. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because the new shelter will improve the overall park facility, promote community gathering, and stimulate local economic activity, including for surrounding restaurants and small businesses, in a small, underserved town in rural Wisconsin.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: Great Sauk State Trail Bicycle Rail Trail Connection Project
Recipient: Sauk County
Amount Requested: $2,400,000
Description: Sauk County requests $2,400,000 to support completing 20+ years of work to create the rail to trail corridor across Sauk County, linking vital major trails together and providing development that creates vibrant and diverse community economies. Funding would make the difference in finishing the trail in the very near future versus over a decade from now. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because construction of the final section of the Great Sauk State Trail bicycle rail trail connecting the existing built trail in the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area south of Baraboo, Wisconsin to the 400 State Trail in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: City of Sun Prairie Main Street Revitalization Project
Recipient: City of Sun Prairie
Amount Requested: $1,100,000
Description: The City of Sun Prairie requests $1,100,000 to support efforts to improve safety for the community by improving the infrastructure of E. Main Street (STH 19) through downtown Sun Prairie to increase public safety and enhance the downtown environment. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds due to its focus on enhancing accessibility and safety for pedestrians, aligning with federal priorities for infrastructure improvement and public welfare. The project addresses ADA compliance issues, a key aspect of federal regulations aimed at ensuring equal access for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, the inclusion of traffic calming measures, such as median islands and bump outs, aligns with broader federal goals of improving transportation infrastructure to enhance safety and efficiency.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: City of Madison Metro Transit Bus Safety Initiative
Recipient: City of Madison
Amount Requested: $1,138,216
Description: The City of Madison requests $1,138,216 to support equipping Madison Metro’s new fleet of 60-foot buses with technology upgrades to warn bus drivers of impending collisions and improve public safety. This project would provide the fleet with technology to protect bus drivers, warn pedestrians and bicyclists outside the bus that they are in the bus turning path, install camera-based mirror systems that reduce blind spots and provide better visibility in adverse weather conditions, and identify hot spots where frequent near-miss situations are happening. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because the use of this technology will increase the safety of the bus fleet and minimize safety risks to vulnerable road users in the City of Madison.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.
Project: Fitchburg Area Teen Center Construction Project
Recipient: City of Fitchburg
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Description: The City of Fitchburg requests $3,000,000 to support construction of a multipurpose teen center in the community to meet the diverse needs and interests of young adults while fostering a positive and supportive environment for their growth. The center will include space for other organizations to provide wraparound services such as job training, financial literacy, mental health services, and community meeting rooms. This project is an appropriate use of federal funds because this space will foster a thriving community by promoting health and well-being, as well as professional development skills for young adults.
Click here to read the required financial disclosure letter.