Greater Milwaukee Foundation

With a new year comes new reasons to celebrate - namely the anniversaries of these fabulous Foundation colleagues! Jan. 3 - Jeannie Fenceroy, senior program officer Jan. 7 - Catina Harwell-Young, Milwaukee Succeeds deputy director Jan. 10 - Darlene C. Russell, director of community engagement Jan. 10 - Janel Hines, vp of community impact Jan. 16 - Vincent Lyles, Milwaukee Succeeds executive director

Looking for some new reading in the new year? The December issue of our Greater Together Magazine is here! Packed with inspiring stories, impactful philanthropy and community highlights, this edition is a must-read. 📰📖

Forty years ago today, the then Milwaukee Foundation was forever transformed when it became the recipient of the assets of the Walter and Olive Stiemke Foundation. After 20 years, the private foundation transferred $8.7 million to the Milwaukee Foundation. Walter Stiemke was an industrialist who built three successful engineering companies in his lifetime. Olive was at one time the society reporter for the Milwaukee Sentinel. Their foundation's main purpose was to meet the capital needs of local agencies, but for years, the Stiemke Foundation made annual grants to the Milwaukee Foundation to facilitate its management, development and public awareness. The two foundations also shared staff and offices. The new fund became the largest of our 119 funds at the time (and to this day, still remains the largest!).

2024 highlight #10: A new Foundation leader We were thrilled to welcome the fourth leader in our 109-year-old history when Greg Wesley, a donor and former Board member, became the Greater Milwaukee Foundation's new president and CEO in August. Greg brings a deep commitment to community, a wealth of connections across sectors and a passion for continuing our work to build a Milwaukee for all.

2024 Highlight #9: Giving beyond grantmaking to support local nonprofits From festivals to forums, we were honored to sponsor 54 impactful events across our region this year. Do you have an event in need of a sponsorship in 2025? Head on over to our website to learn more about our community sponsorship program.

We loved learning about what all went into the process of creating such a beautiful work of art! Our thanks to artists Rozalia Hernandez-Singh and Reynaldo Hernandez for bringing it to life and for Historic King Drive, BID #8 for creating the the Bronzeville BRUSH initiative that made this and other murals possible.

2024 Highlight #8: Empowering the community through advocacy trainings Milwaukee Succeeds, our communitywide educational partnership, launched its new Early Childhood Education Advocacy Training Series in 2024, a six-part course aimed at equipping educators and community members with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively advocate for change. Led by its ECE Ambassadors, the series teaches participants how to share their stories, engage with decision-makers and push for increased funding, while also providing free continuing education hours. With each session, attendees gain the tools to make their voices heard – a critical skill as the next state budget cycle approaches. The first session drew 19 participants. MKES is on track to have 400 people go throughout the series, which wraps up in February 2025.

2024 Highlight #7: Otto Bremer Community Responsive Fund Earlier this year, through a philanthropic partnership with the Otto Bremer Trust, we made deeper investments in basic needs, community asset building, health and well-being and restorative and responsive activities. Serving as the local expert and Otto Bremer's philanthropic intermediary partner to administer and distribute funds, the Foundation funded over 40 nonprofits and organizations addressing such priorities as basic needs, community asset building and health & well-being. Grant amounts varied from $10,000 to $75,000.

2024 Highlight #6: High school success highlights Our communitywide education partnership, Milwaukee Succeeds, is working to ensure every high school student has the resources and opportunities to thrive. From funding youth programs to creating tools that empower young leaders, over the past year it has been driving success for our city’s students. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gvNa6VFh

Our new fourth floor conference rooms - and the first floor space at ThriveOn King - have given us so many new opportunities to meet and celebrate with community over the past year. We're grateful for all the new connections and looking forward to many more in 2025!