First round of grants to support current grantees and immediate COVID-19 response efforts in Milwaukee and Hawaii.

MILWAUKEE – Zilber Family Foundation Board of Directors announced the allocation of $3 million in emergency funding to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will support organizations in Milwaukee, where the Foundation invests the majority of its resources, as well as in Hawaii, where it makes more targeted grants.

The new grants will support general operating expenses for the Foundation’s current grantees and immediate response efforts to meet the urgent needs of those adversely affected by COVID-19. Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis and allocated across three categories:

• Grants of up to $25,000 to help current grantee organizations meet emerging needs and sustain operations, with a priority on organizations that contribute to reducing the economic, social, and health effects of the pandemic. The Foundation’s support for its current grantees also includes added flexibility in meeting the requirements of existing grants.
• One-time emergency grants of up to $100,000 to current grantees addressing basic human needs, housing, public health, and small business, with a priority on organizations and activities that have a clear and direct role in limiting, shortening, or minimizing the economic, social, and health effects of the pandemic.
• Grants to support pooled community-based emergency response funds that address the effects of COVID-19 on high-need populations across the community. To date, the Foundation has awarded $100,000 grants to two organizations, the MKE Response Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Hawaii Resilience Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation.

“Many of our nonprofit partners serve on the front lines of the pandemic and need a quick infusion of funding to help meet an increase in demand for services and programs, and to maintain financial stability during this crisis. We want to ensure that nonprofits and the communities they serve are able to respond to this crisis and thrive in the future,” said Gina Stilp, executive director. The Foundation is inspired by our community coming together at this unprecedented time, and we will continue to contribute critical and targeted resources as the situation evolves.”

Interested organizations can find the application, including eligibility and funding requirements, at http://www.zilberfamilyfoundation.org/grants_seekers.html.  

In addition to the COVID-19 funding, Zilber Family Foundation recently awarded grants totaling $1.5 million to 19 nonprofit organizations. The grants support organizations that address affordable housing and community economic development in the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative’s three targeted Milwaukee neighborhoods of Lindsay Heights, Clarke Square, and Layton Boulevard West. Additional grants support organizations focused on youth development and basic human needs in Milwaukee and Hawaii.

About the Zilber Family Foundation
Formed in 1961 by Joseph J. Zilber, the Zilber Family Foundation is a private independent grantmaking institution dedicated to enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and neighborhoods by supporting nonprofits to address basic needs and personal safety, increase access to social and economic opportunity, and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. For more information, please visit: www.zilberfamilyfoundation.org.