Grafton, WI – Each year Mel’s Charities awards local nonprofit agencies grant dollars to be used to support the Ozaukee County community. This year Mel’s Charities awarded the Ozaukee Nonprofit Center (ONC) $20,000 to put toward a collaborative grant to help support and sustain the human service partner agencies located on the ONC campus.

A recent national study by the Nonprofit Finance Fund shows that 31% of nonprofits have less than three months of cash reserves on hand, and 62% of them list long-term financial sustainability as their top operational challenge. By providing overhead resources, Ozaukee Nonprofit Center is a partner in sustainability for their partner agencies. The ONC’s mission of sustaining nonprofits for a better community, is focused on ensuring their agencies resources can be used to deliver more services to people and less on utilities, technology, and rent.

To help put agencies dollars directly to their own mission and services, Mel’s Charities has granted this year’s dollars to the ONC to support 2 months of rent for the following agencies: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ozaukee, Habitat for Humanity, Ozaukee Nonprofit Center, Advocates of Ozaukee, Interfaith Caregivers of Ozaukee, Mr. Bobs Under the Bridge, and Sirona Recovery.

“We believe 2 months rent will help our human service partner agencies focus on what matters – enriching lives,” says ONC executive director Carissa Barnes “dollars regularly spent by these agencies on rent can now go directly in offering an array of educational and enriching services for clients from birth to senior, including aging and disability services.

For more information regarding the Ozaukee Nonprofit Center, please visit ozaukeenonprofitcenter.org.