Joe and Ellen Checota will give $5 million challenge gifts to endowments of the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
The challenge gifts, totaling $15 million, require one-for-one planned or cash-matching gifts to the endowment funds of the three organizations, according to a Monday news release. Donors can choose the endowment fund that will receive their matching gift.
Matching gifts to the three endowment funds cannot exceed $350,000, as part of an effort to expand the base of donors who support the arts in Milwaukee.
“Arts organizations in Milwaukee struggle each year to raise the funds that are required to keep their doors open,” said Joe Checota, the founder and executive chairman of Milwaukee-based Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC. “Ellen and I are pleased that we are in a position to provide financial support to three special arts organizations that have enriched our lives for more than 50 years.”
The challenge gifts from the Checotas will eventually produce a total of $30 million across the three organizations’ endowment funds, said Chad Bauman, executive director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
“These three challenge gifts are unprecedented in Milwaukee and promise to be transformational in our fundraising efforts,” Bauman said. “This method of giving will be appealing to donors who wish to leave a family legacy that will inspire future generations to support and enjoy the arts in Milwaukee.”
Mark Niehaus, president and executive director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, said the gift from the Checotas “will help secure the financial future of the Symphony for years to come.”
“These challenge gifts could be an opportunity of a lifetime to create a lasting legacy for our arts organizations and inspire a whole new generation of donors who love and support the arts,” said Marcelle Polednik, the Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum. “To the extent we succeed in growing the number of new donors, all arts organizations will benefit, and a rising tide will lift all boats.”
