2MC Foundation announces $75,000 in matching grants for local organizations in 2026
Gifts of cash or securities each organization receives during the matching period designated below will be matched 1:1 up to the original grant amount.
2026 GRANTEES
LITERACY NETWORK
$10,000 Grant – Matching period: 05//06/2026 – 12/15/2026
Literacy Network was founded in 1974 and serves approximately 1,000 low-income adults each year in Dane County, Wisconsin. Literacy Network helps adults achieve their goals through personalized education services and support.
The adults they support improve their skills in English language communications, reading comprehension, and use of information technology. As a result, they advance their careers, help their kids succeed in school, become U.S. citizens, understand health information, or obtain their high school diploma or other degrees.
MADISON READING PROJECT
$10,000 Grant – Matching period: 05/06/2026 – 12/15/2026
Madison Reading Project connects our community with free books and literacy resources that ignite a love for reading and affirm and reflect the diversity of young readers. By increasing the availability of books and literacy tools, MRP helps close opportunity gaps and support educational success. Reading is a proven driver of future prosperity and cultural competency – we believe every child deserves that foundation. Madison Reading Project is proud to be part of building a more equitable, literate, and empowered future—one book and one child at a time.
OPERATION FRESH START
$25,000 Grant – Matching Period: 06/1/2026 – 09/30/2026
Operation Fresh Start (OFS) empowers emerging adults on a path to self-sufficiency through education, mentoring, and employment training. OFS programs are designed for a critical time in life: the transition to adulthood. They provide a path forward for emerging adults through mentoring, education, and employment training. OFS graduates earn their high school diploma, driver’s license, certifications in the construction and conservation fields, and gain college/career readiness skills. Participants are also giving back to the community — building affordable homes for low-income families, completing conservation projects, and environmental justice work in city and county parks. After program completion, OFS staff continue to support graduates as they transition into post-secondary education and/or self-sustaining employment.
SIMPSON STREET FREE PRESS
$30,000 Grant – Matching period: 1/1/2026 through 12/15/2026
Simpson Street Free Press (SSFP) delivers rigorous academic instruction in out-of-school settings. Known for its rigorous curriculum, SSFP delivers award-winning academic instruction. With a focus on writing for publication, SSFP students write about science, geography, books, history, and the arts. The organization’s mission is to spark student success and bridge achievement gaps. Students acquire practical literacy skills working in authentic newsrooms. They learn 21st-century job skills. SSFP closely monitors student progress data.