NORTHEAST WIS. – Each spring, grant season reaches a peak at the end of March when financial awards from the federal to local level are announced for organizations that provide impactful services.
This also aligns with April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, where many grants are given to domestic abuse organizations like Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc.
“Grant writing is a year-round effort for our organization,” Executive Director Courtney Olson explained.
“I research funding opportunities that align with our mission and the specific needs of survivors in Marinette, Oconto and Florence counties in Wisconsin. From there, I develop detailed proposals that outline the community need, our program design, projected outcomes and budget.”
This process allowed Rainbow House to secure the “Healing Trauma, Empowering Women” grant from the Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay.
“The majority of the funds support civil legal representation for women who fall through the gaps in existing legal aid programs, including elderly survivors who don’t qualify for programs requiring minor children in the home, younger childless women excluded from family-focused legal aid and women whose income slightly exceeds poverty guidelines but who cannot afford attorney retainer costs,” she said.
The grant will also go towards supporting Licensed Clinical Art Therapist Marissa Biswabic — also the founder of Creative Routes Mobile Art Studio — who provides collaborative art therapy programs that focus on “self-expression, exploration and fostering connections,” according to her website.
Additionally, Oconto’s Rainbow House received a $15,000 “Keeping Doors Open, Keeping Survivors Safe” grant from the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation.
Olson explained, “Many funders — including community foundations like Greater Green Bay — have a relationship-based process that may include a letter of inquiry, a full application and sometimes a site visit or interview. Once awarded, we submit regular reports documenting how funds were used and what impact was achieved.”
“It’s a labor of love, and receiving support from regional funders like these reinforces that our community sees and values the work we do,” she added.
This grant will be used to sustain and continue operations at the Oconto County outreach office, which is the only domestic violence service provider in the county.
“Funds go directly toward emergency barrier removal assistance for survivors, covering prepaid cell phones, transportation assistance, home security improvements and relocation costs, as well as facility operations including office rent and storage, communication and technology infrastructure and vehicle insurance supporting advocate transportation,” Olson explained.
“Together, the two grants represent $30,000 in investment in Oconto County survivors, addressing both the immediate, practical barriers to safety and the longer-term therapeutic and legal needs that help women and families rebuild their lives.”
In 2025, Rainbow House served 578 total clients, including 562 were outreach clients and 16 shelter clients. Clients ranged from young adults to seniors as well as children under 18.
“Domestic violence does not discriminate and it touches families in every corner of our community, including right here in Peshtigo and throughout Oconto County. Our services are completely free and confidential, and no one has to be in crisis to reach out to us,” Olson stated.
Services provided across the Rainbow House locations included legal services, counseling and crisis hotline support.
Helping with these wide-reaching efforts was another grant — the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention grant program.
The Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention was created through an executive order signed by Governor Tony Evers in 2025. Gov. Evers stated that $10 million in federal funding would be distributed through the office during their grant cycle, but later increased the amount to $15 million after hundreds of applications were received from violence prevention groups across the state.
Grant funding was awarded to “school districts, law enforcement agencies, domestic violence organizations, firearm retailers, local governments and more that serve 60 counties across the state to help crack down on crime, prevent violence — including intimate partner and gun violence — and keep kids, families and communities across Wisconsin safe,” a press release stated.
“Violence — including intimate partner violence and gun violence — doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion, but today, it is a statewide problem that affects kids, families, and communities in every corner of Wisconsin. This violence is preventable, and it’s clear by the overwhelming interest in this funding that more can and should be done to crack down on crime and violence and keep our kids and communities safe,” Gov. Evers shared.
In response to these grant awards, Olson said, “Community support matters enormously. Grants from foundations like Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and the Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay allow us to sustain and grow programs that might not be covered by government funding alone. When local funders invest in this work, it sends a powerful message to survivors that they are not alone.”
Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. operates at 1210 Main St., Oconto, and 1530 Main St., Marinette. They can be reached over the phone at (800) 956-6656 or via their textline at (906) 290-9081.
For more information, visit www.therainbowhouse.us/.
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