The Community Welfare Council (CWC) preceded the Dane County Social Planning Agency (DCSPA) as a central planning body for community services in Madison, Wisconsin. The CWC was a voluntary federation of public and private social agencies established in November, 1948 to promote social services in Madison by encouraging community planning. The CWC was entirely financed by the United Community Chest (UCC). “Red Feather” agencies of the UCC were required to join the CWC for planning and coordination of services with CWC member agencies. For member organizations and the Madison community the CWC both established and participated in service projects. In 1969, after a series of studies of duplicated services, the CWC, the UCC, the City of Madison, and Dane County appointed a Task Force to develop a better approach to social planning. The result was a proposal to establish a social planning agency responsible for the needs of Dane County and the City of Madison. The CWC was dissolved in the fall of 1969, and was replaced by the DCSPA. Its duties were limited to the planning of social services and the evaluation of existing services. The DCSPA had quasi-governmental status. It served the City of Madison, Dane County, and the United Way of Dane County. It received no formula funds from either state or federal government, but relied on annual allocations from city and county government and United Way sponsors, and on special government grants and contracts.
