Our Work
At The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread…
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We bring people together…
We convene small to mid-size groups of people within the beauty of our natural environment to engage in critical conversations about issues that matter to communities.
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To explore perspectives…
Our distinct, fact-based approach to gathering allows for multiple points of view. We embrace complexity and help people achieve understanding and common ground on historical and complicated challenges. We rely on expert facilitators who ensure people are heard, respected, and engaged in conversation.
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That drive progress on the issues.
The conversations that start here don’t stop here. We are an incubator for vibrant ideas and action to support our local community and global humanity. Once new ideas and solutions emerge, we serve as a community connector to raise visibility and increase participation in conversations around the solutions being discussed. We collaborate and partner with organizations as needed to ensure change can take hold.
MISSION
The mission of The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread is to bring people together to generate transformative ideas that have a positive and lasting impact in our communities.
VISION
A future where perspectives are understood, people feel connected, and progress is community-led.
Our 7-Step Convening Model
At The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, we use a 7-Step Convening Process to advance our strategic initiatives and the transformative work of nonprofits and community organizations, when applicable.
The process emphasizes upfront listening and learning to identify challenges and opportunities, helping to ensure they are deeply understood. This deep understanding allows for solution ideation and action plan development that can be implemented and measured for impact.
A group is guided on an exploration of their initial thoughts and concerns on an issue.
From those concerns, a pattern of problems is identified, compiled, and agreed upon.
Participants must identify and agree on the root cause of the problems that persist.
Participants agree on where to focus efforts and narrow down viable solutions.
A collective action plan is created with accountable and measurable goals.
The action plan is implemented, and progress is closely tracked.
Participants track progress toward desired outcomes and institutionalize success.
Past Initiatives
Resilient Communities Initiative
In June 2017, The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread launched its Resilient Communities Initiative. Through a three-part community briefing series headlined by well-known experts on community resilience, we focused on assessing our local and regional capacity for future resilience.
The series launched a community dialogue around strengthening regional resilience and finding ways to ensure our local communities’ long-term economic and social well-being.
For us, nothing matters more than the future health and well-being of all in our community.
Resilient Communities Roundtable
The Resilient Communities Initiative catalyzed a series of informal Resilient Communities Roundtable discussions among top local and county leaders to explore ways to work together to benefit each municipality and the region. The group has since been formalized into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Council.
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Municipal Fiscal Analysis:
City of Racine's Fiscal Condition: Living Within its Means
Village of Caledonia's Fiscal Condition: Paying Its Way
Village of Mt. Pleasant’s Fiscal Condition: A Calculated Risk
Regional Service Analysis:
Building Bridges: A scan of municipal service sharing opportunities in Greater Racine
Options for Improving Parks & Recreation Services in Greater Racine: Read More
Fire and Emergency Medical Services in Greater Racine: Considering Options for the Future
Charting New Waters Initiative
From 2008-2014, The Johnson Foundation’s Charting New Waters initiative convened more than 600 experts representing diverse sectors and perspectives for intensive, solution-oriented work on U.S. freshwater issues.
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The culmination of that work was Navigating to New Shores, a report meant to provide a platform for our many partners and other leaders as they continue to address water resource and infrastructure challenges.
Read more:
African American Infant Mortality Initiative
In 2011, we mobilized the Greater Racine Collaborative for Healthy Birth Outcomes to combat African American infant mortality crisis in Racine.
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Dozens of organizations worked together on a five-year plan to cut these mortality rates in half. The Collaborative’s efforts resulted in increased access to quality health care, reduced stress caused by social and economic inequities, and strengthened families.
Read more:
Children's Mental Health initiative
After six months of foundational research, we convened the Racine Collaborative for Children’s Mental Health (C2MH) to thoroughly explore opportunities to support children’s mental health in our community.
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Over 100 public, private, and non-profit partners designed and implemented a plan to improve the mental health of Racine’s youth.
The collaboration led to:
Service improvements and new programs including the establishment of Racine Unified School District’s first school-based mental health clinic in 2015
A community-wide anti-stigma campaign, and children’s mental health literacy program.
Today, the Collaborative continues expanding the school-based mental health clinic model community-wide.
Read more:
Our Current Initiative
At The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, we believe everyone deserves access to opportunities that lead to well-being and economic security. Yet for many, this is not their reality. Our current initiative is focused on changing that.
