As students and families prepare to transition into summer, the Helen Bader Foundation has committed $407,000 to 18 Milwaukee-area community organizations targeting the needs of low-income youth.
The grants are part of a $2.5 million funding pot that the foundation recently distributed among initiatives in Wisconsin as well as across the country and globe.
The youth grants will serve an array of area programming, from summer camps to reading programs to leadership development efforts. Through the grants, the Helen Bader Foundation primarily seeks to broaden youth and family access to positive out-of-school programming.
“With the end of the school year quickly approaching, we know that young people in our community are most susceptible to negative influences during times when they are not in school or working,” said Mary Osmundsen, Community Partnerships for Youth program officer for the Helen Bader Foundation. “We are encouraged by the commitment of our partners in the community to work with and encourage young people to reach their highest potential, and we are proud to support their vital work.”
In selecting grant recipients, Osmundsen said the foundation sought organizations and quality programming focused on helping “build passions in kids and expose them to things they might not have had access to otherwise.”
Grant recipients are:
*Unity in Motion, Inc.: $40,000
*Hope House of Milwaukee, Inc.: $40,000
*Penfield Children’s Center, Inc.: $37,500
*Global Youth Leadership Institute, Inc.: $35,000
*New Beginnings Are Possible, Inc.: $25,000
*Milwaukee Tennis & Education Foundation, Inc.: $25,000
*River Revitalization Foundation, Inc.: $25,000
*Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Inc.: $25,000
*Usher’s New Look, Inc.: $25,000
*United Community Center, Inc.: $20,000
*True Skool, Inc.: $20,000
*Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Inc.: $20,000
*Summit Educational Association, Inc.: $20,000
*Pan-African Community Association, Inc.: $12,500
*Milwaukee Public Schools: $10,000
*Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Foundation, Inc.: $20,000
*Milwaukee Public Theatre, Ltd.: $10,000
*COA Youth and Family Centers, Inc.: $7,000
