The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation announced it has distributed $10 million in grants this year to organizations in Milwaukee and throughout the state.
Among this year’s 103 grant recipients in Wisconsin were the Hmong American Peace Academy, which is constructing a new high school building on its campus, and the Milwaukee Academy of Science, which is also planning an expansion to accommodate more middle and high school students.
The Milwaukee-based grantmaking organization, which honors the legacy of the Allen-Bradley Company co-founders, supports organizations that promote arts, culture, education and health, as well as conservative political causes.
“Public and private sectors have encountered tremendous challenges this year, but local non-profits who rely on private philanthropy have been especially impacted,” said Rick Graber, president and chief executive officer of the Bradley Foundation. “Bradley Foundation grant recipients have navigated the pandemic with remarkable resilience, leadership and a drive for transforming lives. From virtually offering world class musical performances, to safely opening schools for Milwaukee’s most vulnerable students, to helping addicts overcome substance abuse during a time when they’re most at risk, the unwavering commitment of grantees continues to contribute to a vibrant civil society in the Milwaukee area and throughout Wisconsin.”
The foundation released a list highlighting several 2020 grant recipients. They include:
- Milwaukee Chamber Theatre: $20,000 to support general operations.
- Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra: $20,000 to support general operations.
- Bridge Builders: $20,000 to support general operations, a first-time grant from the Bradley Foundation.
- Walnut Way Conservation Corp.: $40,000 to support general operations. Walnut Way recently completed phase 2 of its Innovations and Wellness Commons development, and announced plans to build a new home for its social enterprise, Blue Skies Landscaping.
- Hmong American Peace Academy: $300,000 to support a capital campaign, a first-time grant from the Bradley Foundation. HAPA, a charter school that serves predominately Hmong students in grades K4 through 12, is building a new 99,000-square-foot high school building in Milwaukee’s Lindsay Park neighborhood.
- Milwaukee Academy of Science: $300,000 to support a capital campaign for its planned 20,000-square-foot expansion and construction of a new athletic facility.
- Lutheran High School Association of Greater Milwaukee:$25,000 to support TRIUN3, a newly launched consulting service established to provide strategic advice and shared operational services to Christian schools with the goal of strengthening their viability and the fulfillment of their mission.
“The trifecta of crises this year – a pandemic, economic devastation and social unrest – have underscored the importance of civil society,” Graber said of this year’s grant recipients. “Government cannot and should not fix all of our problems. We must constantly work to sustain civil society from the bottom up to restore, strengthen, and protect the principles of American exceptionalism.”
The organization distributed $11.3 million in grants to 92 Wisconsin organizations in 2019.
Since it was founded in 1985, the foundation has made more than 13,000 grants totaling over $1 billion to more than 1,900 organizations. Of that, nearly $400 million has gone to groups within Wisconsin.
