Green Bay Packers Foundation awards $1.75 million in grants

GREEN BAY, WI—(WGBW)— The Green Bay Packers Foundation awarded a total of $1.75 million in impact grants to 11 nonprofit organizations in Brown, Dane, and Milwaukee Counties in a luncheon ceremony on Monday. 

The Impact Grant Program directs significant funds toward organizations serving their communities daily. The grants of varying amounts were awarded to seven organizations in Brown County ($1.1 million total distribution), one in Dane County ($100,000 total distribution), and three in Milwaukee County ($550,000 total distribution). 

“The Packers Foundation is proud to award grants to 11 Wisconsin organizations making profound impacts in the communities they serve,” said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy in a press release. “We are pleased to recognize their commitment to enhancing lives and support the meaningful work they carry out daily.” 

Grant Awards

Grants of varying amounts were awarded to the following nonprofits:

Brown County

• Aspiro, Inc. (Brown): Aspiro will devote the grant toward their Beyond Expectations Campaign to modernize their Dousman Street campus, replace outdated systems and foster an environment that promotes learning, creativity and growth for clients. 
• Bellin College (Brown): The impact grant will assist the Changing Healthcare. Changing Lives. Campaign, which will expand education access and eliminate financial barriers to strengthen the future of healthcare.
• Children’s Museum of Green Bay (Brown): The grant will support Reaching New Heights, the Children’s Museum of Green Bay’s campaign to expand into a 26,000 square foot facility. With over $4.2 million raised and construction beginning soon, the new space will serve more children through innovative exhibits, educational programming and greater community access.
• CollegeReady (Brown): The grant will go toward the Local Futures Campaign to expand its college readiness services, doubling the number of underrepresented local youth to make their college dreams come true.
• Jackie Nitschke Center Inc. (Brown): The grant will help renovate Glas Haus into a new 16-bed Women’s Residential Center, doubling the number of individuals JNC can serve and separate clients by gender to address the specific needs of each population.    
• New Community Shelter, Inc. (Brown): New Community Shelter will devote the grant toward construction of permanent supportive housing, providing stable housing and services to end chronic homelessness in Green Bay.
• Wello (Brown): The grant will go toward Cultivating Community: Growing Farms and Families in Northeast Wisconsin through Wello’s Farmers Truck that will travel in neighborhoods throughout the Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin region.

Dane County

• Wisconsin Historical Foundation (Dane): The Wisconsin Historical Foundation will devote the grant toward its Campaign for a New Wisconsin History Center, an educational, cultural and historical resource benefiting and enriching the lives of Wisconsinites and visitors to Wisconsin for generations to come.

Milwaukee County

• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin – Metro Milwaukee (Milwaukee): The grant will be used for 3DE, a program that is systemically re-engineering the high school experience and expanding economic opportunity for more than 1,000 students at Bay View and Marshall High Schools.
• Neu-Life Community Development Inc. (Milwaukee): Neu-Life Community Development will utilize the grant award for NeuVue, an innovative, mixed-use development to help young people successfully bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood with opportunities to learn how to live independently, reinforcing positive life skills.
• The Salvation Army of Milwaukee (Milwaukee): The grant will go toward construction of The Center of Hope, a homeless shelter designed to meet the needs of the community in a dignified manner.

Impact Grant History

The Impact Grant Program began in 2013. Since then, the Packers Foundation has disbursed $11.9 million through impact grants, awarding grants to organizations that focus on various need areas, including education, homelessness, and the health and well-being of children, families, and the elderly. 

Last year, over 140 charities received grants from the Green Bay Packers Foundation.

Since its establishment in 1986, the Green Bay Packers Foundation has distributed more than $28 million for charitable purposes. The Green Bay Packers Foundation is part of Green Bay Packers Give Back, the Packers’ all-encompassing community outreach initiative. Packers Give Back includes appearances by players, alumni, coaches, and staff, monetary and in-kind donations, community events, Make-A-Wish visits, football outreach, and much more. These efforts contribute to a comprehensive Packers charity impact that was in excess of $13 million last year.