A pot of $1 million jointly created by Wells Fargo and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation will advance the second phase of the Milwaukee Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT program, which centers on improving neighborhoods by widening access to housing and employment.
The pool of funds were announced Wednesday evening during LISC Milwaukee’s 16th annual MANDI Awards program, which applauded organizations, projects and programs that are effectively revitalizing central city neighborhoods.
After Sang Kim, Wells Fargo region president for Wisconsin, announced that Wells Fargo would contribute $500,000 to the second stretch of the NeighborhoodLIFT program, Ellen Gilligan, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, announced that the foundation would match those funds in honor of its centennial year.
Wells Fargo and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation are still fleshing out exactly how the $1 million will support Milwaukee neighborhoods but plan to issue grants toward programming that addresses housing and employment. A competitive request for proposal process will launch this summer.
“Through the Wells Fargo Milwaukee NeighborhoodLIFT program, we are delighted to make this investment with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation on these important local initiatives that will help make Milwaukee a stronger community,” Kim said in a press release.
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation will steward the $1 million as part of its commitment to further developing area neighborhoods.
“Milwaukee is a city built on neighborhoods, and when we help our neighborhoods succeed, our entire community succeeds,” Gilligan said. “This exciting partnership with Wells Fargo will provide tremendous opportunity for neighborhood residents and agencies to strengthen the places where they live, work, shop and play.”
More details of the new partnership will emerge in the coming weeks, Gilligan said.
