Grant part of nearly $310,000 awarded during second quarter competitive grantmaking

Milwaukee, WI - June 28, 2012 - A $45,000 grant to the River Revitalization Foundation will help its work toward closing a critical gap that exists in a 13-mile shared use trail within the Milwaukee River greenway.

The grant supports the construction of one mile of trail along a parcel of land just north of Capitol Drive that was a former landfill. The land runs along the site of the Milwaukee Area Technical College's solar voltaic farm. The money will fund habitat restoration, public education and support student and volunteer work crews.

"This one-mile trail is a critical link in the Milwaukee River corridor," said Kathryn Dunn, the Foundation's vice president of Community Investment. "Once complete, the entire 13-mile loop will be an important asset for residents throughout the greater Milwaukee area."

A total of $309,726 was awarded through the second quarter competitive grantmaking cycle. Additional grants of $25,000 and above include:

Strengthening neighborhoods

Mercy Housing Lakefront: $30,000 to support staffing and help expand its efforts to provide more affordable housing in the Milwaukee area through its 180 Propertiesprogram. The program aims to secure and maintain 500 vacant, foreclosed homes in Sherman Park, Johnson's Park, Havenwoods and Thurston Woods and employ disadvantaged jobseekers.

Urban Economic Development Association of WI: $25,000 to support its work as the lead agency for Take Root Milwaukee, a homeowner consortium created in 2009 to address the foreclosure crisis.

Strengthening Education

The Student Conservation Association: $25,000 to support the Milwaukee Conservation Leadership Corps School Year Program, which provides employment during the school year for underserved youth in Milwaukee Public Schools.

Community Initiatives

Meta House: $30,000 for the final year of a three-year pilot program called Families Come First, which works with pregnant women who are using drugs or alcohol and mothers whose babies have tested positive for substance abuse. The program is in collaboration with the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, Milwaukee County Children's Court and Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division.

Philippine Cultural and Civic Center Foundation: $20,000 to cover the costs of medical tests and supplies associated with its free medical clinic and costs associated with the clinic's recent move.

Creative Alliance Milwaukee: $35,000 to create a full-time staff position. Diverse and Resilient: $25,000 to support the agency's community health promoter program, which recruits and trains members of the LGBT community to provide outreach and education to other LGBT individuals.

Advocates of Ozaukee: $25,000 to offer legal advocacy and support services to its clients.


About the Greater Milwaukee Foundation

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is a family of more than 1,100 individual charitable funds, each created by donors to serve the local charitable causes of their choice. Grants from these funds serve people throughout Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. Started in 1915, the Foundation is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the world.

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