5 survey respondents
Location: 101 W Pleasant St, Milwaukee, 53212 WI
EIN: 39-6036407
100%
0%
12 hours
Median
60%
40%
40%
60%
2017 Deadlines:
Types of Grants Awarded:
Geographic Focus:
For Fiscal Year
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Amount of Grants to Minnesota Nonprofits:
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Reviewer 9529 - Professional in the field
It is critical that grant applicants meet with foundation staff prior to a grant cycle to develop a relationship. This community foundation is remarkable in how critical relationship development is to them. While staff are certainly knowledgeable about the Greater Milwaukee Area and many of its organizations, they cannot know what they are not made aware of, nor can they know about organizations from the somewhat distant vantage point.
Friendly, Builds relationships, Responsive
Wisconsin
Professional in the field
Funded for amount requested
Before 2014
Average
Average
Greater Milwaukee Foundation is using place as a predictor of need instead of addressing the specific needs that relegate certain populations to those places. For example, where people live does not cause those places to be dangerous; poverty, unemployment, and limited access to education make people desperate and unable to access safer neighborhoods. Fixing the place will not improve unemployment, education, or poverty.
I would encourage GMF to play as much to the community as it does to those with funds in the Foundation. They do a good job with educating donors about finance. Now they could do the same by educating donors about social need and the effects of poverty.
They will meet with prospective grantees and those who are not successful with being funded. They are generally more candid than others about their decision making.
0
Grant Applicant - applied in 2016
Greater Milwaukee Foundation is very hard to figure out. Its funding priorities don't always align with what actually gets funded. Its RFPs are unpredictable and don't seem to adhere to a set of values that remain the same-- or similar-- over time. I would love to see GMF become more of an ever-present community leader like those in other cities, e.g. the Minneapolis Foundation, setting the tone for policy and support of treasured community institutions and organizations while also admitting that its funding allocations have tended to favor large white institutions.
Gives more than money, Responsive
Wisconsin
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2016
Average
It depends entirely on the level of relationship a person has with a PO. If you already have a relationship with them, you probably have much better responsiveness.
Bad
The big issue is that it's hard to figure out what they will ACTUALLY fund. The recent "On the Table" exercise was duplicative and not really the place that people think this kind of work should be done. It would have been better to hand this to someone in the community with the social capital and ties to community like YWCA or a similar place. Also, by letting people ask whatever they wanted, there was virtually no way to fairly and accurately capture what was said. A two-minute video, and a five-page report that is about 90% demographics-- how much money was spent on this? How could that money have been spent better? Is this really the way GMF wants to lead in a city with the highest Black infant mortality rate, the state with the worst incarceration rate for Black men, and we're having dinner? Come on. We know what needs to be done. GMF should step to the head of the line and just do it already, be an example. One thousand more dinners that make white people feel good (full disclosure-- I'm white) won't change the city for the better.
Attack systemic racism in a more meaningful way. No more fun-time dinner projects to the tune of tens (hundreds?) of thousands of dollars and even more human-hours in value.
Some of their grant making is really good.
5
Reviewer 154 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2017
Keep checking their website for updates on deadlines and preferred interests, because even if you have been in regular touch with a staff member, you may not be alerted to a very short proposal deadline.
Friendly
Wisconsin
Current or former grantee
Other
2017
Average
Not bad.
Bad
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation seems to have lost sight of its mission, which one would hope would be overall improving life in the greater Milwaukee area. They have devoted millions of dollars to public education projects and jobs creation projects, which do not seem to have produced success. And they have ignored the rest of the community's needs.
They are not highly regarded in the fundraising community.
You are narrowing down the focus of your grant making activities, hoping to have a positive effect on some issue in Milwaukee. But, all of the greater Milwaukee area is your mission.
The program officer did not take time to review carefully our short e-mail request for help until I pushed out again to say, but what about this other possibility? Do not expect the program officer to be on your side, or to be interested in how your organization/programs might support their concerns if they have not already identified you as a partner.
We are still waiting to hear.
I do not know of anything that they do well, and I have been a participant and a donor for decades, off and on. It makes me very sad to say this.
14
Reviewer 800 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2017
Be prepared that the Letter of Inquiry is as larger and more involved than many entire funding applications for other foundations.
Oregon
Applied and not funded
2017
Good
response staff in the education area that we applied to.
Average
they have reduced funding and are preparing for a restructure refocus of priorities. this bodes poorly
reduce the letter of inquiry to about 5 questions. Four people spent many hours working on the 26 questions...
be prepared for changes ahead...get your EDI shoes polished up.
clear separation of priorities currently. not sure what will emerge after their navel gazing is done
20
Grant Applicant - applied in 2015
Get a meeting before submitting
Positive leader in the field, Culturally sensitive
Wisconsin
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2015
Average
It's difficult to get program officer to attend an event.
Good
Goals change too quickly.
Get out in the community more
Get an "in"
Considers multi year grant requests
10 to 15 hours
