Antetokounmpo Family Awards $1 Million to Milwaukee Nonprofits

Giannis and Mariah Antetokounmpo speak at a press conference announcing the Powering Milwaukee Forward initiative. Photo taken Oct. 18, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.

A collaboration between the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation (CAFF), GE HealthCare and the GE HealthCare Foundation aims to improve health outcomes for Milwaukee residents by supporting existing changemakers in the community.

Giannis and Mariah Antetokounmpo, along with representatives of the healthcare company and elected officials, gathered at Avlí on Friday to announce Powering Milwaukee Forward, an initiative awarding $1 million in grants to 10 local nonprofits dedicated to providing basic needs and confronting socio-economic barriers to health.

“This community has become our family,” Mariah said to attendees gathered on the Greek restaurant’s patio. “We’re just very excited to … team up with such an amazing organization to give back to this community who has given our family so much.”

Grant recipients include Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, Acts Housing, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Hunger Task Force, Milwaukee Parks Foundation, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, African American Breastfeeding Network and Children’s Wisconsin Foundation — all of which are focused on addressing critical needs related to healthy food, housing, education, maternal/fetal health and safe physical environments.

Giannis, who arrived in Milwaukee at the age of 18, shared his gratitude at being embraced by the city. “I basically grew up in this community,” he said.

Now the married father of three, the Milwaukee Bucks power forward is eager to return the favor. “At the end of the day, I know that money matters, and that these million dollars can make a change,” he said. “But it should not matter. Everybody should be able to have access to basic needs.”

Abigail Epane-Osuala, one of the driving forces behind Powering Milwaukee Forward, said she takes motivation from her past. After arriving in the United States from Cameroon, she struggled to make ends meet as a student.

“I did not realize it at the time, but I am now incredibly aware of how much my lack of access was impacted my overall health,” she said.

In her role as chief diversity and inclusion officer for GE Healthcare and vice president of GE HealthCare Foundation, Epane-Osuala said she aspires to “create a world where healthcare has no limits.”

“Everyone deserves to live a healthy and fulfilling life, but as you all know, there can be factors that stand in the way,” she said. “Every day, we see residents who lack the basic resources they need for health and well being. We want to ensure the communities where we live and work have access to the necessary resources to live healthy lives.”

Meg Brzyski Nelson, president of Children’s Wisconsin Foundation and chief development officer for Children’s Wisconsin, emphasized the many factors that influence health.

“We know at Children’s that only 10% of what we do within our hospital walls … influences a child’s health,” she said. It’s where they live, it’s decisions that they didn’t get to make — their neighborhoods, their schools, housing, food safety — we recognize that kids are growing up, especially kids in Milwaukee, in neighborhoods facing daunting obstacles.”

Mayor Cavalier Johnson shared similar insight, noting that the city faces a number of challenges. “No place is perfect,” he said, but added that he’s encouraged by those working to enact positive change.

“All this is founded on a basic belief that we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors who are in need.”

County Executive David Crowley said he feels a personal connection to the initiative. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for organizations like the ones named making the investments in the community I lived in,” he said.

In his role as county executive, Crowley has publically shared his goal of making Milwaukee County the healthiest in the state. Powering Milwaukee Forward, he said, will play a key role in furthering that goal.

“It’s not just about surviving, it’s about having thriving communities,” he said. “But we know that we can’t realize this ambitious vision alone. Collaboration is key. It requires all of us to commit to the vision, to come together and honestly say that we want to live in a healthy community. It’s not just about talking about it. It’s about being about it.”

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