Martin Luther King Economic Development Corp. is a nonprofit developer, community resource and connector in Milwaukee’s Harambee, Bronzeville, Halyard Park, Brewer’s Hill and Riverwest neighborhoods (collectively known as MLK Village).
Earlier this year, MLKEDC broke ground on its latest project, Five Points Lofts, a $16 million, mixed-use development with 55 apartments, including 46 with below market-rate rents, and retail space on King Drive between Concordia and Keefe avenues.
The organization partnered with Milwaukee-based KG Development Group on the project, which aims to spur entrepreneurship in the community, improve job growth, grow economic equity, provide a range of affordable and market-rate housing and create a dynamic and active environment for the residents.
Under the direction of executive director Nicole Robbins since 2019, MLKEDC has made investments and partnerships that have helped revitalize the MLK Village area, with projects such as Bader Philanthropies’ offices, Pete’s Fruit Market, The Griot Apartments and America’s Black Holocaust Museum, the Historic Garfield School Apartments and the ThriveOn King development. In 2018, Robbins spearheaded the MLK Homes initiative, which aims to acquire and rehabilitate existing single-family and duplex properties and re-sell those properties to owner-occupants.
“A lot of the work that we do kind of goes under the radar. We’re kind of like the humble giants in the community.”
– Nicole Robbins, executive director, MLKEDC
Social Enterprise Finalist: Food For Health
Launched in 2022, Food For Health was made possible through a seed investment from the Milwaukee-based Dohmen Company Foundation. Now a fully independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Food For Health’s mission is to help low-income individuals prevent, manage and reverse the negative impacts of chronic disease through a home-delivered medically tailored meal program, lifestyle support and integrated technology.
As the first and only medically tailored meal provider in Wisconsin, Food for Health’s B3Healthy program has proven to reverse the negative health impacts of diet-related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and at-risk pregnancy.
Many factors influence health, including access to health care, health-related behaviors, and social constructs such as income inequality, structural racism and the influence of one’s built environment. Led by CEO Kathy Koshgarian, the Food For Health program was designed specifically to address these challenges.
Through medically tailored meals and health coaching, program participants experienced improvements in blood glucose, blood pressure, weight reductions, a 74% reduction in emergency department visits, and a 46% reduction in medical costs. Today, FFH is well on its way to reaching its goal of transforming the health of 50,000 people by 2028.
