Redefining support for those

who make it all possible

The Inclusa Foundation is a new grantmaking organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities and older adults in the State of Wisconsin. The Foundation was formed using the proceeds from the sale of assets of Inclusa, Inc. – a nonprofit Medicaid Managed Care Organization with decades of long-term care experience, supporting the Family Care program. While the Foundation is an independent entity with no ties to any current Managed Care Organization, our mission to build diverse and inclusive communities continues through our available grant opportunities. 

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The Inclusa Foundation operates within the Commonunity® framework, the philosophy through which Inclusa, Inc. approached its work. Emphasizing choice, home, contribution, accessibility, and belonging, Commonunity® guides the approach to enhancing full citizenship for all. Through this lens, the Inclusa Foundation will work to evolve how Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) are delivered and managed over time, including:

  • Expanding access to competitive integrated employment,

  • Transitioning toward independent community living and other non-congregate approaches, and

  • Exploring value-based purchasing to ensure that service-delivery yields tangible results for people with disabilities and older adults.

Grant Opportunities

Big funding decisions start with big questions. We’re actively evaluating the needs of Wisconsin’s LTSS ecosystem to ensure a thoughtful, strategic approach to our 2025 grants.

We will share updates as soon as more details become available. In the meantime, if you have any insights or key priorities you’d like to share, we welcome the opportunity to connect. Your perspective helps ensure our funding continues to meet the evolving needs of Wisconsin’s LTSS community.

What We Fund

We pursue a multi-pronged strategy for systems change, including provider innovation, leadership development, and public policy education. We support organizations rather than individuals. All applicants must be a 501(c)(3) organization or other tax-exempt entity as designated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The Foundation is open to a broad range of proposals; see below for a variety of examples.

    • Piloting transformative models* for supporting people with disabilities and older adults in the community – focusing on one or more of the following areas:

      • Diverting individuals from institutionalization,

      • Exploring non-congregate settings, including assisting persons to transition from group homes to supported living or host home arrangements,

      • Expanding access to competitive integrated employment, particularly for persons with significant cognitive, communication or behavioral challenges, and/or

      • Increasing workforce retention and quality in home and community-based services.

    • Testing the impact of value-based purchasing and risk-sharing across multiple providers and payers.

    • Scaling well-validated models for disability and aging service-provision in a manner that will eventually be supported by public funding.


    *Projects that entail piloting new or emerging models of service-delivery should be accompanied with recommendations for an independent evaluation strategy. Where appropriate, the Foundation will select an evaluator and fund evaluation separately from grants to pilot programs. Applicants need not include independent evaluation costs in their proposed grantmaking budget.

    • Leadership development programs to train self-advocates and family members to be effective agents of change in their local communities.

    • Leadership development programs geared at preparing providers to lead their organizations to establish new programming and evolve legacy programs to be better aligned with best practices for community integration.

    • Internships and fellowship programs that support self-advocates, family members and service-providers to participate in public policy activities in state legislative offices, executive branch agencies, and organizations devoted to promoting positive systems change in disability and aging policy.


    The Foundation is also interested in bringing well-established national program models for leadership development to Wisconsin. We would welcome applications from both Wisconsin-based organizations applying alone and partnerships between Wisconsin-based organizations and external organizations that have developed an existing program model for which they can share expertise.

    • Disability and aging stakeholder organizations working to educate policymakers and the public on the impact of various public policy choices.

    • Thinktanks and academic institutions seeking to rigorously analyze the impact of public policy change on LTSS for people with disabilities and older adults.

    • Data collection and monitoring projects that provide transparency on outcomes for people with disabilities and older adults that depend on Wisconsin’s publicly funded LTSS programs (e.g.: Family Care and IRIS).

The categories listed above are intended for illustration only and are not exhaustive. We encourage any organization with an innovative proposal likely to contribute to Wisconsin’s LTSS ecosystem to consider applying. We are especially interested in ideas related to housing, community living, integrated employment, workforce, integrating medical and long-term care needs, and/or peer support.

For any proposal, the Foundation welcomes applications from both individual organizations and consortia of multiple organizations. We are especially interested in collaborations that include organizations run by people with disabilities as a core partner in the funded work. Applications should also indicate how they will ensure that their work addresses the needs of underserved populations, including Tribal Nations.

What We Do Not Fund

The Foundation does not support any of the following activities:

  • Lobbying

  • Grants to individuals, including individual scholarships

  • Biomedical research

  • Capital campaigns or endowments

  • Programs for the purpose of religious education

  • Financial deficits or debt reduction

  • Activities that are duplicative of Family Care, IRIS or other available public funding streams

  • Local fundraising campaigns unconnected to a specific project or activity

Grant FAQ

  • The Inclusa Foundation is an independent grantmaking organization seeking to support innovation and leadership in disability and aging services, with particular focus on the State of Wisconsin. The Inclusa Foundation was formed with the proceeds of the sale of the assets of Inclusa Inc., a nonprofit Medicaid Managed Care Organization in Wisconsin’s Family Care program.

  • No. The Foundation is an independent entity with no ties to any Managed Care Organization or other external entity. Our grantmaking is wholly separate and independent.

  • The Foundation is interested in grant proposals that support the development of high-quality services for people with disabilities and older adults in Wisconsin. We have a particular interest in proposals that pilot and evaluate innovative program models for supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities and older adults in the community. We are also open to proposals in other areas, including leadership development programming, public policy education, and support for self-advocate and family-led activities. In general, we see our role as supporting targeted investments in the health of Wisconsin’s long-term services and supports ecosystem, rather than providing indefinite support for services that are also supported by public payers.

  • Applicants must have a 501(c)(3) or other nonprofit tax-exempt status as designated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

    Organizations currently receiving a grant from the Inclusa Foundation are not eligible to apply for new funding within the same calendar year. This ensures that we can support a diverse range of initiatives and can extend our impact across different projects. Awarded organizations are welcome to apply again in the year following the conclusion of the funding award.

  • At the present time, the Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for general operating support. At the discretion of the Board, we may choose to provide grants for this purpose after the Foundation has developed a relationship with a grantee over a longer period of time after supporting specific projects.

  • The Foundation is open to both short-term (1 year) or long-term (2-3 year) grant proposals. Longer-term grant proposals should include specific budget projections for each year the program would be in operation. Long-term projects are most likely to be supported when an initiative requires a longer duration to demonstrate effectiveness and impact. Otherwise, the Foundation will also consider proposals in consecutive years to renew funding for a successful project.

  • Inclusa Foundation is actively evaluating the needs of Wisconsin’s LTSS sector to ensure a thoughtful, strategic approach to our 2025 grant opportunities.  

    Updates will be shared as soon as more details become available.

  • The Foundation welcomes pre-submission inquiries. You can e-mail us at info@inclusafoundation.org.

  • At the present time, the Foundation is primarily considering proposals within the State of Wisconsin or that will have a substantial impact on Wisconsin’s long-term services and supports ecosystem. Successful proposals must demonstrate a clear relationship between project activities and outcomes for people with disabilities and older adults residing in the State of Wisconsin.

  • The Foundation does not support any of the following activities:

    • Lobbying

    • Grants to individuals, including individual scholarships

    • Biomedical research

    • Capital campaigns or endowments

    • Programs for the purpose of religious education

    • Financial deficits or debt reduction

    • Activities that are duplicative of Family Care, IRIS or other available public funding streams

  • The Inclusa Foundation values grantees’ time, and views reporting as a collaborative process. Check-ins and reporting provide opportunities to celebrate progress, address challenges, and explore additional support. Grantees are asked to complete:

    • Initial Check-in (within first three months): Confirms project launch and identifies early successes or challenges.

    • Mid-Year/Mid-Project Reportand Check-in (for grants over $50,000): Assesses progress, key achievements, and project challenges.

    • Year-End/Final Reportand Check-in: Reflects on project outcomes and impact, systems change contributions, and budget expenditures.

    While the reporting process is housed in the grant management platform, the Foundation is open to other reporting formats that better support the grantee and their work.

  • Organizations currently receiving a grant from the Inclusa Foundation are not eligible to apply for new funding within the same calendar year. This ensures that we can support a diverse range of initiatives and can extend our impact across different projects. Awarded organizations are welcome to apply again in the year following the conclusion of the funding award.