Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual recently celebrated $500 million in donations through the Northwestern Mutual Foundation since its inception in 1992. The company’s foundation focus areas include education, neighborhood revitalization and the search for better treatment for childhood cancer.
In 2024, the company and its foundation invested $4.2 million to support 20,000 early childhood, K-12 and higher education students in Milwaukee. Another $2.2 million was invested in Milwaukee’s Amani, Metcalfe Park and Muskego Way neighborhoods, including for safety-driven home repairs and construction of 119 affordable homes. Northwestern Mutual also contributed nearly $3.4 million to increase access to community destinations like Discovery World, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and the Milwaukee County Zoo.
Northwestern Mutual employees also dedicated 50,000 hours to volunteering and raised more than $2.4 million through employee giving campaigns for organizations like United Way and the United Performing Arts Fund. Employees are also able to earn up to two $500 grants for nonprofits they support each year by completing 30 hours of volunteer service. Nearly 400 of these grants were awarded in 2024.
“Each of these areas is an investment in our tomorrow, whether it’s a student who will eventually enter our workforce, a community member seeking a home and opportunity to grow their generational wealth, or a child who seeks to have a long life symptom-free of childhood cancer.”
– Steve Radke, Northwestern Mutual Foundation president
Finalists:
Baird
In 2024, the Baird Foundation and the Paul Purcell “Kids Win!” Annual Baird Education Grant contributed more than $7.4 million to qualified nonprofits, including more than $3.3 million to match employees’ charitable donations, supporting nearly 3,500 nonprofit organizations.
Baird provides every employee with a paid day each year to volunteer for the nonprofit organization of their choice. In addition, Baird’s annual “Baird Gives Back Week” provides employees with additional paid hours to volunteer with Baird-selected nonprofit partners, amplifying the company’s collective community impact. These flexible, inclusive programs remove barriers to participation and encourage broad engagement across teams.
To help boost individual giving, the company also matches a portion of employee contributions to eligible nonprofits.
One of the organizations that has benefited from Baird’s support is SecureFutures, which received a $75,650 Paul Purcell “Kids Win!” grant in 2024. The grant is named for the company’s late chairman who was a champion of youth causes. Beyond financial contributions, employees have volunteered more than 470 hours with SecureFutures, mentoring teens and helping the next generation improve their financial skills.
Milwaukee Tool
Milwaukee Tool has partnerships with 70 nonprofits across the U.S., including support for Habitat for Humanity, Feed the Needy, veterans organizations, numerous education and apprenticeship programs and disaster relief.
The company provides each team member with 16 paid volunteer hours annually, which led to more than 7,000 volunteer hours logged in 2024. The hours are applied across several strategic focus areas, including housing, hunger, veterans, education and disaster relief.
In 2024 alone, 390 employees volunteered 2,750 hours with Habitat for Humanity, contributing both labor and more than $215,000 in tools. With Feed the Needy, the company helped distribute more than 158,000 pounds of food and participated in hunger relief efforts in Pittsburgh, Chicago and Greenwood, Mississippi.
The company’s veterans efforts included support for 5th Squad and Veterans Community Project, including more than $34,500 raised, more than 220 hours volunteered and $200,000 in toys delivered.
Milwaukee Tool’s education initiatives included support for FIRST Robotics, SparkShop, and numerous apprenticeship programs reaching more than 7,800 students and supporting more than 500 apprentice graduations.
In collaboration with Team Rubicon, the company and its employees contributed more than $86,000 in tools and 160 hours of volunteer work after hurricanes and tornadoes.
