Madison nonprofit Natural Circles of Support, which works to close achievement gaps and racial disparities, may soon run out of money, The Capital Times reports. Jeffrey Lewis, the organization’s executive director, said its contract with the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) ended in August, and it has since relied on money from its reserves to continue an East High School program supporting Black students with disabilities.
If Natural Circles is unable to secure more funding from the district or other community partners, Lewis said its work could end as soon as this spring. He recently applied for and was denied an outside grant to support the initiative.
The nonprofit started working with MMSD in 2013 as part of a three-year pilot program. The initiative was funded by Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction, which brought the program to schools across the state. Natural Circles last year worked in three east side schools — Lowell Elementary School, Hawthorne Elementary School, and East High School — but the program ended at the elementary level after the organization’s district contract expired.
