About the Social Justice Center
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to provide space for nonprofits to succeed in their pursuit of social justice, where the community can come together in support of the common good.
SJC serves as an office building for local nonprofits critical to our community as well as an incubator space where smaller non-profit start-ups can grow their organizations with affordable rent and access to all of the necessary office amenities. The SJC facilities also include an art gallery, community meeting spaces, storage for community organizations and a neighborhood rain garden. Through shared responsibilities and governance, our aim is to create an inspiring and collaborative environment where local nonprofits, activists, artists and members of the Madison community can access resources, support and services needed to thrive.
Our History
The Social Justice Center was established in 2000 by four local Madison nonprofits; Tenant Resource Center, Madison Community Cooperative, Wisconsin Community Fund and Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund. Their goal was to provide office space to social justice organizations and to be an incubator space where smaller start-ups can grow their organizations with affordable rent and access to all of the necessary office amenities.
Our founding organizations knew the challenges every nonprofit faces. For new organizations, the start-up costs can be overwhelming, especially without a roadmap to follow. By joining together, our founding organizations bought our building on Williamson Street to pool their resources so that more of their time and energy could be put towards achieving their missions.
Leading the charge was Nan Cheney –unstoppable community organizer, social justice activist and beloved leader in the Madison community. Her dedicated leadership during our founding campaign turned the idea of the SJC into reality. Nan’s legacy is at the heart of our story, and inspires our relentless pursuit of a more just world
