The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is created by the community and for the community. Within the Foundation are more than 1,300 charitable funds, each created to serve the individual charitable needs specified by their donors. They are united by one common goal: making communities – especially those in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties – better places to live.

We've helped donors create nature preserves, start scholarships, expand schools, protect domestic violence victims, provide food and shelter for the hungry and homeless, establish nationally renowned scientific research programs, and much more.

In some cases, donors establish funds dedicated to broad fields of interest, such as children, the arts or the environment. Donors also create unrestricted funds, which allow the Foundation to make grants addressing the community's most pressing needs.

In our competitive grantmaking program, we are particularly interested in exploring opportunities to partner with grantee agencies, our advised fund donors, and other funders on efforts to strengthen education, strengthen neighborhoods, increase economic opportunities and promote racial equity and inclusion in the greater Milwaukee area. To this end, we encourage grantseekers to apply.