Funder, advocate for LGBTQ+ priorities focused on impact, sustainable growth
Milwaukee, Wis. – In a move to enhance future growth, sustainability and impact in the LGBTQ+ community it serves, Cream City Foundation has joined the Greater Milwaukee Foundation as a supporting organization. In this specialized community foundation structure, Cream City Foundation will maintain an independent board and decision-making power while benefiting from the investment expertise, administrative support and regional reach of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
“We are excited for this next chapter in our story and new partnership with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, which will allow our volunteer leaders to refocus our energy on relationships with donors, our convening priorities and our grantmaking activities,” said Charlie Nash, Cream City Foundation board chair. “Building on the momentum of Pride Month, we see this as a great opportunity for longtime supporters and new allies to join us in advancing the human rights and responding to the human needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in southeast Wisconsin.”
Established in 1982, Cream City Foundation has consistently answered the needs of the LGBTQ+ movement as they have changed and evolved, from fighting the AIDS crisis in its nascent years, to helping turn the tide of public opinion on the issue of same-sex marriage to supporting the well-being and rights of gender-nonconforming and transgender people and youth. Over the last four decades, the foundation and its donors have mobilized resources for seed funding, fiscal sponsorship and helping sustain key institutions like Pridefest, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center and Vivent Health (ARCW) during critical junctures in time.
“The legacy and impact of Cream City Foundation is etched in Milwaukee’s history, and we are honored that their leadership has chosen to partner with us as they enter a new era of serving the community,” said Ellen Gilligan, Greater Milwaukee Foundation president and CEO. “Our values are aligned around an inclusive, thriving Milwaukee for all, and both of our organizations have much to gain as we bring together our connections, ideas and resources.”
By financially supporting nonprofits, convening stakeholders to enact change and funding student scholarships, Cream City Foundation has consistently addressed the economic, health, safety and equity needs that prevent the region’s LGBTQ+ communities from achieving full inclusion and acceptance.
To date, the foundation has provided over $1.6 million in grants to such local nonprofits as Diverse & Resilient, Pathfinders, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Holton Street Clinic, FORGE, Vivent Health/ARCW, Milwaukee Pride, LGBT Centers of SE Wisconsin & Milwaukee, BESTD Clinic and the Fair Wisconsin Education Fund. In 1990, they were a critical funder and agent in the founding of Q-BLOK – a Pathfinder’s housing program that continues to support the needs of LGBTQ+ and allied young adults today.
In addition, the foundation has awarded $220,000 in scholarships since 2017 to build capacity for current and future LGBTQ+ leaders.
In its new composition, Cream City Foundation is returning to its roots as an all-volunteer organization. While back-office functions will now be managed by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Cream City Foundation will continue to operate as a board of directors focused on identifying the most urgent needs for LGBTQ+ communities in our area and connecting those needs with vital funds and support. Cream City Foundation plans to announce its 2024 scholarship recipients later this summer and invites the community to join them Oct. 10 for the 2024 Business Equality Luncheon. Donors interested in joining Cream City Foundation by contributing to one of their funds or exploring a fund of their own can contact the foundation at hello@creamcityfdn.org.
About the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is Wisconsin’s largest community foundation and was among the first established in the world. For more than a century, the Foundation has been at the heart of the civic community, helping donors achieve the greatest philanthropic impact, elevating the work of changemakers across neighborhoods, and bringing people and organizations together to help our region thrive. Racial equity is the Foundation’s North Star, guiding its investments and strategies for social and economic change. Leveraging generations of community knowledge, cross-sector partnerships and more than $1 billion in financial assets, the Foundation is committed to reimagining philanthropy, catalyzing systems change, convening and following community voice, and building inclusive culture to transform our region into a Milwaukee for all.
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