Chalkboard wall at Chrysalis that says “Grow through what you go through”

Mission

Chrysalis promotes mental health and substance use recovery in our community by supporting work opportunities that encourage hope, healing and wellness.

Vision

Chrysalis envisions a community where everyone belongs. A community that is free from stigma, rooted in racial and social justice. This community is one where:

  • wellness and recovery are possible
  • work, education, and purpose are recognized as integral to recovery
  • everyone has access to peer support and holistic, equitable mental health and substance use services, and
  • diverse lived experiences and strengths are celebrated

We Believe

  • Work is recovery. 
  • Recovery is a process. 
  • In person-centered services. 
  • Everyone deserves dignity. 
  • People are constantly growing and evolving. 
  • Everyone is a learner, everyone is a teacher. 
  • Systemic oppression of marginalized communities is real and it is our responsibility to create a more inclusive environment.

We Resolve to

  • Actively listen. 
  • Lift each other up. 
  • Reduce stigma. 
  • Promote trust in the workplace. 
  • Embrace conflict and grow from it. 
  • Have a staff that is representative of our community. 
  • Take action to support social justice in our work. 
  • Bring joy and celebration into this work.
Infographic: Chrysalis Identity Statement. We advance our mission of promoting mental health and substance use recovery in our community by supporting work opportunities that encourage hope, healing, and wellness. And to seek to support recovery through meaningful work, purpose, and connection. By serving working age individual living with significant mental health and substance use challenges who have an interest in exploring purpose through work, education, volunteering, and meaningful relationships. In Dane County, Wisconsin. Through person-centered services that focus on the integral role of purpose and connection in recovery. Services range from competitive (IPS) to supported (Chrysalis Pops) work opportunities and focus on shared experience (Vocational Peer Support) and shared decision making (Chrysalis Clubhouse). In addition to direct services, Chrysalis participants in local and state-wide coalitions, and facilitates peer learning communities to promote the Chrysalis mission and support the role of people with lived experience with mental health and substance use challenges as providers and system change makers. Emphasizing our strengths and advantages: • A well-established reputation, longevity, innovation, and proven history of strong vocational and recovery outcomes. • Having a majority staff with lived experience with mental health and substance use challenges. • Our authenticity as leaders in the Peer Support and IPS movement. • The love our community has for Chrysalis and the love we have for our community and those we serve. And guided by our values of social justice, inclusion, respect, wellness, connection, hope, healing, and transparency. We are sustainable by having diversified funding that includes County government contracts (primarily through Medicaid and BadgerCare MA), Department of Workforce Development, grants, fundraising from individual and corporate donors, and our Chrysalis Pops social enterprise.

Agency History

Chrysalis, Inc. has been serving the Madison community since 1980 as a private 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The founders wanted to avoid following a trend at the time, that was to provide mental health support in sheltered workshops. These founders believed that real-life experiences were more powerful and lasting than those consisting of isolated and confined interactions. Therefore, the Chrysalis Supported Employment and Vocational Peer Support Programs emerged and, to this day, Chrysalis focuses on providing community-based vocational support services.

About Chrysalis

Chrysalis is governed by a board of directors and has seventeen employees. Chrysalis has an operating budget of $1,250,000. Chrysalis provides vocational support services to over 250 Dane County residents with severe and persistent mental illnesses. Chrysalis is funded by Dane County Department of Human Services, the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Community Shares of Wisconsin and community donors. 87% of all funds go directly to program-related costs.

Please visit our Donations page to learn more about our financial and in-kind donation needs.

Meet Our Staff

Website Photos by Ueda Photography