It is a competition. People actually vote to decide which organizations get the top grant awards. But many of the organizations represented cooperate and work together to serve the needs of people in the Madison area.
That was clear as United Madison Christian Givers (UMCG) held another of its regular Award Events on April 27, 2026, at the InterVarsity building. “We’re all Christians come together to do God’s work,” said UMCG CEO Diane Hanson.
These quarterly gatherings draw together Christians from various local denominations and church communities who share a desire to find out how God is moving in the Madison area and then support what’s happening with their financial contributions. “We’re here to help solve some of the biggest probelms n the Madison area,” said UMCG president Keven Peterson.
Six local ministries that have been selected make short presentations and then a vote is taken to determine how the grants are distributed. Here’s how the evening went:
Brat Fest Event Director Eric Salzwedel led off by discussing the Faith-Based Stage which happens each Sunday during the Memorial Day Weekend event. One of the Brat Fest stages is devoted to Christian music on that day, after an early morning community worship service. This year Lighthouse Church will be joining Heartland Church for Brat Fest’s first bilingual community worship service. A UMCG grant will help with the production costs of the Faith-Based Stage and allow more Brat Fest receipts to be channeled to the more than 100 non-profit organizations that provide volunteers and benefit from the event.
Care Net Pregnancy Center of Dane County presented a grant request to support its campaign to reach women with unexpected pregnancies through digital media early in their decision-making process. “We have to be there,” said CEO Sara Patterson, noting that Planned Parenthood spends $16-million/year on media supporting their abortion message. “They’re fighting back hard because we’re making a difference,” she said. She also noted that Care Net has just won an award from Google for the high number of positive reviews received from pregnancy patients.
Every Daughter has a network of volunteers that build relationships and provide practical assistance to women who are sexually exploited and trafficked. Their grant request was made to support a Stable Housing Initiative, which offers women who want to get away from trafficking a safe and secure place to stay. The number of women being trafficked in modern slavery is growing, estimated at 50 million worldwide, including in Madison.
Lighthouse Christian School presented a grant request for its annual Back-to-School Blessing which supplies backpacks and school supplies at a picnic celebration at the beginning of the school year. “It’s not a Sunday service, but the spirit of God is transforming the atmosphere,” said Lighthouse assistant pastor Stephanie Avila. The event served 225 students last year, a goal of 300 has been set for 2026.
Yada Fair Trade & Resale is another organization that helps female survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation with a variety of resources. “It’s not rocket science, it’s just learning to love people well,” said Yada founder Beth Williams, sporting a “Jesus Loves Strippers” hoodie that she and her friends wear to two local strip clubs on a weekly basis to talk to the women. One woman, a college athlete that they met a while back, walked out of the club with them and three weeks ago was baptized. Their grant request would support Yada’s Economic Empowerment Program, which prepares the women for other employment.
Young Life Dane County‘s grant request was made to help low-income middle school, high school, and college-aged youths have summer camp experiences designed to grow their faith. “Students will be learning faith isn’t something you believe, it’s something you live,” said Chris Handrick, Dane County director. He said 40-percent of the young people they serve are not church-connected.
After the votes were counted, the top awards ($10,000) went to Care Net, Lighthouse school, and Young Life. Five thousand dollar grants went to Brat Fest, Every Daughter, and Yada.
“We’re living proof that Christians are making a difference in the Madison area,” Kevin Peterson said. UMCG will do this again with more organizations in October. For more information, go to unitedmadison.com.