“For far too long communities have been asked what they need and what they want and what their aspirations are, and it has fallen on deaf ears. We in philanthropy have both the opportunity and the obligation to do things differently, and I hope that we are doing things differently in Milwaukee.” 

– Ellen Gilligan, Greater Milwaukee Foundation president and CEO

Reimagining philanthropy was the central theme of the Foundation’s two-part action-oriented, educational “A Milwaukee for All” series in 2022. We were thrilled to welcome two national leaders to help us explore further two key ways in which we can help reimagine philanthropy in our community: decolonization and centering community voice. 

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Edgar Villanueva

Our June convening featured a conversation between Foundation President and CEO Ellen Gilligan and Edgar Villanueva, an activist and author of “Decolonizing Wealth.” Their conversation revolved around ways to heal the hurt caused by colonization and create an equitable society. A subsequent roundtable discussion brought in the perspectives of local experts.

Tonya Allen

Our October convening featured Tonya Allen, president of the McKnight Foundation who has a passion for co-creating an equitable, sustainable world. In a conversation with Gilligan, she discussed the importance of centering lived experience in philanthropy efforts and how real change requires effort, persistence over time and incremental progress in pursuit of a larger goal. Afterwards she joined several local leaders in a roundtable discussion on how these concepts and ideas are being implemented in Milwaukee. 

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Catch the conversations from our 2021 three-part A Milwaukee for All educational series. >>