Zilber Family Foundation Awards $3.7M in Grants to Milwaukee Nonprofits

MILWAUKEE — The Zilber Family Foundation announced today that its Board of Directors approved $3.7 million in grants to 21 nonprofit organizations throughout Milwaukee in alignment with the issues it supports, including affordable housing, community economic development, and basic human needs.

“The Zilber Family Foundation has a long history of supporting local organizations in their missions to care for the community and improve the quality of life in Milwaukee,” said Gina Stilp, Executive Director of the Zilber Family Foundation. “We are inspired by the important work of our grantee partners, and we look forward to seeing their plans to increase access to social and economic opportunity in Milwaukee come to fruition.”

This round of grant distribution includes support for several organizations leveraging food as a tool for economic development.

“Food is both a basic need for individuals and communities – and a crucial component of local economies. We often forget that community access to healthy, locally-produced, and culturally-relevant food not only increases well-being and combats food deserts, it also creates avenues for local farmers and entrepreneurs to establish and grow their own businesses,” said Stilp. “A strong local food system can serve as an engine for economic growth in our community.”

Fondy Food Center, Alice’s Garden and the Milwaukee Food Council are three organizations focused on economic development through food to receive support from Zilber Family Foundation this spring.

“Fondy Food Center and Alice’s Garden are both energized by the opportunity to deliver community-based programs with the help of these grants,” said Venice Williams, Executive Director of Alice’s Garden and Interim Executive Director of Fondy Food Center. “The support from Zilber Family Foundation enables both organizations to uplift local farmers and food entrepreneurs and build a stronger food economy in Milwaukee’s Lindsay Heights community.”

Fondy Food Center
Fondy Food Center brings healthy food and economic opportunity to Greater Milwaukee by operating local farmers markets throughout the year, providing access to land, resources and support for small-scale farmers, and working with partners to build a better food system for our community. Fondy will use the grant to improve and increase farm production, connect more Lindsay Heights residents to locally-grown produce, and strengthen organizational infrastructure.

Alice’s Garden Urban Farm
Alice’s Garden Urban Farm provides models of regenerative farming, community cultural development, and economic agricultural enterprises for the global landscape. The grant will be leveraged to further support emerging and established food-based entrepreneurs and small businesses in Lindsay Heights.

Milwaukee Food Council
A network of community members, organizations, professionals, and government officials, the Milwaukee Food Council (MFC) strives to support a locally-anchored food system that advances Milwaukee’s social, economic and environmental well-being through collective action.

MFC maintains the local food economy as a priority focus area, supporting economic development of businesses that sell healthy and local food in neighborhoods and a healthy, safe and fairly compensated food system workforce. The grant will help MFC build organizational capacity.

Additional May 2023 grant recipients include:

• Capuchin Community Services: To replace windows in the Capuchin St. Ben’s Community Meal Program Hall.
• Community Warehouse: To support the sale of discounted home improvement and household materials to residents in the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative (ZNI) and other Milwaukee neighborhoods.
• Community Water Services: To build organizational capacity to eliminate lead contamination in drinking water in Milwaukee.
• Data You Can Use: To support organizational capacity.
• Ezekiel Community Development Corporation: To implement its Home Electrical Safety Program in Lindsay Heights, by conducting electrical inspections and correcting minor electrical hazards in 25 homes.
• Friendship Inc: To support general operating expenses.
• Meta House: To support Project Horizon.
• Milwaukee Christian Center: To support the repair, rehab, and development of single-family homes in the Clarke Square neighborhood.
• Northwest Side CDC: To provide lending, technical assistance and business support to small businesses in ZNI neighborhoods; and support property improvements along commercial corridors in ZNI neighborhoods.
• Revitalize Milwaukee: To replace 50 roofs for income qualified homeowners in ZNI neighborhoods.
• Riverworks: To support the expansion of the Riverworks Financial Clinic as part of Milwaukee’s recent designation as a Financial Empowerment City.
• The LeadersTrust: To partner with Zilber Family Foundation grantees on capacity building services.
• United Community Center: To support the Latinas Unidas Residential Treatment Program.
• UniteWI: To support the development of a mixed-use property at 2501 W. North Avenue in Lindsay Heights.
• VIA CDC: To purchase a property on National Avenue to serve as VIA’s new headquarters.
• Walker’s Point Youth and Family Center: To support porch repairs at the youth shelter.
• YMCA of Metro Milwaukee: To support youth development, with a particular focus on children and families from Lindsay Heights.
• YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin: To support personal financial management coaching, education, and matched savings for Lindsay Heights residents.

A complete list of Zilber Family Foundation grant recipients is available on the Foundation website.

About the Zilber Family Foundation:

Formed in 1961 by Joseph J. Zilber, a philanthropist and businessman, the Zilber Family Foundation is a private independent grantmaking institution dedicated to enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and neighborhoods by supporting nonprofits to address basic needs and personal safety, increase access to social and economic opportunity, and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. For more information, please visit: www.zilberfamilyfoundation.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.