Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Role on MKE Civic Response Team Will Help Funds From New $1 Million Grant Get to Industries and Organizations that Need it Most
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation (GMF) is no stranger to receiving or giving $1 million grants. Just recently, GMF’s newly created MKE Responds Fund was granted $1 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help with COVID-19 relief.
According to a news release, the grant will help support relief and recovery efforts, particularly in six areas: the critical and intersecting priorities of food, housing/shelter, physical health, mental health, early childhood education and K-12 schools.
Ellen Gilligan. (Picture provided by Greater Milwaukee Foundation)
The MKE Responds Fund was created out of a conversation GMF President Ellen Gilligan and Mayor Tom Barrett had about ways to help the community through this time. The fund was founded back in March and has so far granted $850,000 to 53 organizations. The fund is one of the tools that GMF uses to support the MKE Civic Response team, a broad coalition that is working to improve the systems that support our community including finding the organizations and businesses that are most effected.
“Milwaukee is such a resilient city,” Gilligan said. “I have every confidence that the city is going to come out of this stronger.”
The MKE Civic Response Team has members from multiple industries and walks of life, including community members and healthcare workers.
Gilligan said the GMF team has tried to reach out to every sector in the community to let them know that the funds are available.
Including the MKE Responds Fund, GMF has committed to over $5.5 million to COVID-19 relief through donor, board-directed and external gifts.
“[GMF] is a place where people come together to solve problems,” she said. “We are committed to deploying resources to those who need it most.”
The MKE Civic Response Team is focusing specific attention on the disproportionate impact the pandemic is having on communities of color. GMF wants to make it clear that they are not doing this work alone. There are so many people and organizations working hard on the MKE Civic Response Team, and together they are making tremendous efforts to help our city.
Although GMF doesn’t directly give to individuals, they are helping organizations like the Milwaukee Bucks administer individual grants to their workers. GMF is still trying to work out how they’re going to support small businesses, but are closely working with organizations such as WWBIC and LISC.
For more information on GMF, click here.