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County social services seeks federal FORGE fatherhood grant to expand father engagement
Summary
Marathon County applied for a federal FORGE fatherhood grant requiring at least $400,000 annually; Social Services proposed programming to reach fathers before case involvement and to provide visitation, job and reentry supports.
Marathon County Department of Social Services told the Health and Human Services Committee it submitted an application for the federal FORGE fatherhood grant, a multi-year program aimed at increasing responsible father engagement and supporting reentry for incarcerated fathers. Krista, who led the presentation, said the grant required a minimum annual budget of $400,000 and that the county’s application listed first-year funding of $409,750.
The proposal would fund fatherhood navigators, group programming, visitation supports, job coaching and mediation for co-parenting, and would coordinate earlier engagement with fathers incarcerated locally so they can reconnect with children upon release. "One of the requirements was that it had to be at least $400,000 a year," Krista said. "We are at $409,750." She described the grant as a three-year initiative and said it would support case management, peer groups, supervised visitation resources and employment coaching.
Krista described measurable goals the application lists, including a target of a 30% increase in father engagement within case planning, 50 fathers completing the agency’s Elevate program with measurable gains, and at least 25 fathers receiving pre‑ or post‑incarceration support. She said since 2020 the county’s Elevate program has served 368 fathers and that, as of June 2025, county child welfare caseloads include more than 300 active cases with about 40% intersecting child support.
If awarded, Krista said the county would return to the committee for acceptance of the grant and explained staff had identified sustainability strategies, including leveraging child support performance incentive funding and aligning work with Family First Prevention Services Act priorities.
The committee did not vote on acceptance because the grant award decision is pending. Krista said some components could be advanced with current resources if the county does not receive the grant. The department will return with a grant-acceptance request if the award is made.
