Milwaukee, Wis. – The Greater Milwaukee Foundation has received a $1 million grant from Facebook as part of the company’s commitment to supporting Black businesses, creators and nonprofits.
"We’re excited to work with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to help bring much needed funding to nonprofits that are serving and supporting the Black community in the Milwaukee metro region,” said Marcy Scott Lynn, director of global impact partnerships at Facebook. “We’re providing funding directly to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to build on their track record of supporting Black-led nonprofits and ensure that people locally are making the decisions about where these dollars are most needed and can have the most impact.
The Foundation’s commitment to racial equity and inclusion in greater Milwaukee as well as its leadership role in developing a comprehensive, cross-sector approach to COVID-19 relief and recovery were compelling factors in Facebook’s decision to offer the substantial funding. The dollars are specifically intended for investing in Black-led nonprofits and supporting Black communities. The Foundation will align the funding with its strategies that focus on people and places where investment has been scarce as well as its MKE Responds effort, which supports communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
“We are grateful for how Facebook is drawing on the knowledge and rooted relationships of community foundations to put their philanthropic dollars to work locally,” said Ellen Gilligan, Greater Milwaukee Foundation president and CEO. “As we recently shared with our new strategic vision, recentering communities is a priority in our work. This grant will expand the Foundation’s capacity to invest in the ideas of those who live and work in the diverse neighborhoods we support, increasing economic opportunity and leading us toward a more thriving region.”
The Foundation is one of 20 community foundations across the U.S. selected to receive a $1 million grant from Facebook.
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is Wisconsin’s largest community foundation and was among the first established in the world. For more than a century, the Foundation has inspired philanthropy by connecting generous people to community needs that align with their interests. The Foundation was founded on the premise that generosity can unlock an individual’s potential and strengthen the community as a whole for everyone who lives here. We work in partnership with those who are committed to ensuring greater Milwaukee is a vibrant, economically thriving region that comprises welcoming and inclusive communities providing opportunity, prosperity and a high quality of life for all.
