This is a list of Congresswoman Moore’s Community Funding Project requests to the House Appropriations Committee for potential inclusion in the House’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriation bills. Inclusion on this list does not ensure the House Appropriations Committee will fund the project. Only those projects that are included in the FY 23 funding bills that are signed into law will be funded. Below are brief summaries of the projects and a letter for each project certifying that neither Congresswoman Moore or her immediate family have any financial interests in that project.
The Faculty and Students Together (FAST) Fund
Amount Requested: $250,000
Local 212 MATC Believe in Students Faculty and Students Together (FAST) Fund
Foundation Hall, 8th Floor, 700 West State Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Funding would be used to support low-income students at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) who are experiencing economic emergencies that may affect their ability to remain enrolled and complete their education. MATC serves over 30,000 students, over 70% are low-income students, many of whom are struggling to balance work, school, and family responsibilities.
This funding will help the FAST Fund provide emergency assistance to additional students, helping them stay enrolled and graduate. MATC’s associate degree graduates earn $418,000 more in higher earnings throughout their working years compared to someone with only a high school diploma or the equivalent. Taxpayers also will see $25.7 million in present value social savings connected to lower crime, lower unemployment, and increased health and wellness levels, according to a respected study.
Financial Certification Letter
Health Infrastructure Investment Project
Amount Requested: $2,983,000
Milwaukee Health Services, Inc., 2555 N. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Dr, Milwaukee WI 53212
Funding would be used by Four Federally Qualified Health Centers (Milwaukee Health Services, Inc (lead entity), Outreach Community Health Centers, Progressive Community Health Centers, and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers) that serve about 80,000 patients combined to support improvements that promote patient and staff safety, accessibility and wellness, including investments that will promote ADA accessibility to these facilities for people of differing abilities to safely navigate building and parking areas, including elevator upgrades.
Funding would also be used for equipment updates to mitigate the impacts of severe weather events and power outages that can disrupt the provision of health services. The proposal would also support the purchase of equipment to improve breast cancer screening and mammography interpretation.
Financial Certification Letter
Milwaukee Public Library’s Ready to Read Program
Amount Requested: $242,000
814 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53233
The funding would support the Milwaukee Public Library’s Ready to Read (RTR) program which prepares children for success in school. The most critical time to build the brain connections that develop learning and literacy skills is during a child’s preschool years. In Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District, families living in poverty may lack the resources for high quality childcare that would help maximize this time in a child's development. Children living in poverty can be 12-14 months behind in pre-reading skills when they enter kindergarten, contributing to the gap in reading proficiency rates between low- and high-income children.
RTR’s comprehensive approach will help to ensure that more children can be given the support, guidance, and tools needed for success on their academic journey
Financial Certification Letter
Marquette University's Seizing Opportunities Academic Readiness (SOAR) Cyber Explorers Pilot Program
Amount Requested: $799,500
Marquette University, 1250 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53233
The program would be used to help develop an interest and prepare high school and middle school youth for higher education and STEM careers, including in technology and cybersecurity. The program would provide college readiness services and academic enrichment with an emphasis on cybersecurity. The project would involve several local middle and high schools with an emphasis on students that would be the first generation in their families to go to college.
The economic impact of providing a much more cost-effective, highly efficient approach to developing an interest in high-school and middle school first-generation youth for a career in technology and specifically cybersecurity is profound. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2020 median pay for an Information Security Analyst was $103,590 per year; in May 2020, the median annual wage for all workers was $41,950.
Financial Certification Letter
Muslim Community and Health Center’s Mental Health Initiative
Amount Requested: $290,000
Muslim Community and Health Center, 803 West Layton Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53221
This project will support the expansion of mental health services with a focus on the refugee and immigrant population in the community, including recent Afghan refugees who may be experiencing anxiety, depression, and difficulties adjusting. It will support the MCHC behavioral health clinic to provide mental health services for populations of ages from children to geriatrics, as well as marital counseling, suicide prevention, PTSD, alcohol/drug/and substance abuse, domestic violence, trauma, grief, and addiction counselling.
MCHC offers primary care in multiple languages and has providers from several different ethnic backgrounds.
Financial Certification Letter
