Madison Community Foundation has awarded Rooted a two-year, $75,000 Community Impact grant to help add development and communications staff to support the organization’s growth, and to position it to better meet its future needs, according to a press release from Rooted sent on Wednesday evening.
“We are honored by Madison Community Foundation’s decision to invest in Rooted through a two-year, $75,000 Community Impact grant,” said Rooted Executive Director Marcia Caton Campbell in a statement. “This grant will allow us to increase our development and communications staff and strengthen our communications strategy to improve visibility, access, engagement and overall donor retention.”
Rooted WI, Inc. is a Madison-based 501(c)(3) organization that grounds its work in collaborations in food, land, and learning so that communities may not just survive, but thrive.
“The majority of Rooted staff works directly with community members at Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, Troy Farm, and our many youth garden education sites. Like all nonprofit organizations, we rely on fundraising to keep our programs going. But as a small nonprofit, we sometimes miss out on opportunities that larger nonprofits with development and communications staff have,” said Hedi Rudd, deputy director of South Madison Programs. “Over the past several years, Rooted’s work has grown and evolved in response to community interests and needs. It’s exciting to be able to share the creativity of our programs to feel community members’ and funders’ enthusiasm and support for our work.”
Rooted’s 2023 outdoor programming resumes in late spring at Troy Kids’ Garden and Goodman Youth Farm. Thursday Nights at Troy will begin in June, adding an affordable dinner featuring local chefs to the weekly CSA market share pick-up. Although the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center will be closed this summer for construction to expand its space, the Center will still offer virtual gardening and culinary workshops through its Facebook page.
