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Social services seeks federal fatherhood grant; United Way awards Family Keys support
Summary
Social services reported a pending federal FORGE fatherhood grant application (three-year request totaling about $1.2 million) and confirmed a $90,000 United Way grant award to continue the Family Keys strategy; no county budget request was made for the federal grant.
Krista, a social services staff member, told the committee the department applied for a federal fatherhood initiative grant (FORGE) that required at least $400,000 per year in funding. The application seeks $409,750 annually for three years (about $1.23 million total). Krista said the proposal — labeled "Fathers First" in local materials — would fund a program of fatherhood reunification navigators, visitation support, peer groups, employment coaching and other services aimed at increasing father engagement and preventing later child‑welfare involvement.
Krista said the county’s existing Elevate program has served 368 fathers since 2020 and cited program crossovers: as of June 2025, the county had more than 300 child‑welfare cases with about 40 percent intersecting child support. The FORGE application targets early engagement (including incarcerated fathers), weekly peer groups, employment and apprenticeship pathways and a goal of measurable gains in father engagement. Krista told the committee the grant would pay for a program coordinator and several direct‑service roles; if received, the county would return to the committee to accept the award formally.
Separately, Krista said Marathon County received a $90,000 grant from the United Way to continue the Family Keys strategy; that grant is included in the 2026 budget proposal and requires no immediate committee action.
Krista said if FORGE is not awarded, some components could move forward using existing local funding and partnerships. She offered to provide the board with a one‑page summary of the application and said social services did not budget FORGE into the administrator’s 2026 proposal because the award was not confirmed at the time the budget was prepared.
Ending
Krista will provide the committee a one‑page summary of the FORGE application if members request it; the committee will be asked to accept the FORGE award should the federal grant be awarded to Marathon County.
