Impact100 Greater Milwaukee, a local chapter of a national women’s nonprofit, has announced the winners of two competitive $100,000 grants.
Milwaukee nonprofits Literacy Services of Wisconsin and Neu-Life Community Development Center were chosen from five finalists.
“We are so proud to be creating meaningful change in the Greater Milwaukee area by supporting these two deserving nonprofits,” said Cynthia Harris, Impact100 Greater Milwaukee co-founder.
Literacy Services will use its $100,000 to develop a new high school equivalency program that will address the area’s shortage of skilled laborers. The program will help prepare students for manufacturing and construction jobs.
Neu-Life will use its grant to upgrade its kitchen facilities for its Farmfork Youth Cooking Program and buy a van, which the organization says will help it expand its reach in the community and serve more kids. The Farmfork cooking program makes healthy food more accessible to kids and families in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood.
Impact100’s Milwaukee branch was founded in October and has grown rapidly during its first seven months. It’s is a local chapter of a national nonprofit in which 100 members each donate $1,100 to earn a vote in which nonprofit receives the total pool of funds. $1,000 of each donation goes toward the grant, and the other $100 helps support the operations of the nonprofit.
Because more than 200 women joined the organization by January, the Milwaukee chapter upped its initial giving promise of $100,000 by establishing a second competitive $100,000 grant.
Literacy Services and Neu-Life were two of five finalist organizations selected from a pool of 94 applicants from Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties. The three that were not selected for the two $100,000 grants — Adaptive Community Approach Program, Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee and Zachariah’s Acres — will each receive $6,000 grants.
