Philanthropic support from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation totaled more than $80 million in 2018, with grants from Wisconsin’s largest community foundation supporting a vast range of nonprofit organizations and programs in the region and beyond.
Over the last five years, the community has benefited from over $315 million in grants from the Foundation.
As they have for the last several years, community development efforts received the most grant funding. This is due in large part to the $100 million gift the Foundation has stewarded since 2014 on behalf of former Sen. Herb Kohl in support of the downtown arena project, now the Fiserv Forum. In 2018, about $30.5 million in charitable funds were directed toward that project. Arts and culture, followed by education, round out the top three areas of support.
Foundation grant support in 2018 by category, according to preliminary financial data:
Community development: $38 million
Arts & culture: $8.93 million
Education: $8.56 million
Human services: $6.91 million
Environment: $6.03 million
Child/Youth/Family: $4.24 million
Health: $3.91 million
Other: $2.13 million
Employment & training: $1.56 million
Grants issued by the Foundation include strategic and responsive investments authorized by the Board of Directors using discretionary resources, as well as grants and co-investments made through the funds of those who partner with the Foundation for their philanthropy.
GRANT DESCRIPTIONS: Learn about responsive and strategic grants awarded in 2018.
Last year, donors contributed more than $47 million in new gifts to and through the Foundation. As of Dec. 31, 2018, the Foundation’s assets totaled $833 million, based on preliminary figures.
“If you held a mirror up to the community, the picture would look a lot like the Foundation’s grantmaking,” said Ellen Gilligan, Foundation president and CEO. “In any given year, you can see the activities and aspirations of the community reflected in those programs and investments, and each year builds on the legacy of all those who have given generously throughout the last century to bring those aspirations to life.”
About the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is the region’s largest community foundation and was among the first established in the world. For more than a century, the Foundation has inspired philanthropy by connecting generous people to community needs that align with their interests. The Foundation was founded on the premise that generosity can unlock an individual’s potential and strengthen the community as a whole for everyone who lives here. We work in partnership with those who are committed to ensuring greater Milwaukee is a vibrant, economically thriving region that comprises welcoming and inclusive communities providing opportunity, prosperity and a high quality of life for all.
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