Foundation’s $3M investment helps Black-led college prep school advance plans in Bronzeville
Dr. Howard Fuller has dedicated his life’s work to ensuring that Black students have the choice to go to college and the education they need to thrive in life. And now, with the anticipated opening in fall 2023 of the new Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy building, increasing numbers of Milwaukee students will benefit from Fuller’s passion.
HFCA, a Black-led, public charter, college prep school on Milwaukee’s north side, is embarking upon a $25 million capital campaign to help support a new, 80,000-squarefoot high school in the Bronzeville neighborhood. It will be located across from ThriveOn King, a catalytic development co-founded by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Royal Capital.
“Our current facility has never been optimal, but it came to a point where it was no longer workable, either programmatically or financially,” said Fuller, HFCA’s founder, former Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent and longtime education reformer. “We want to build a state-of-the-art facility because the kids deserve it.” The Foundation recently announced a $3 million investment in the future of HFCA and the scholars it serves.
“We are bringing a high-quality charter school that is Black-led, Black governed and Black-serving to a storied community,” said Cory Nettles, a Foundation Board member and one of the chairs of the campaign. “We were very intentional about this location because we think we bring a lot of value to the community, but we know that the community brings a lot of value to our school.”
School principal Judith Parker noted that the new building will help HFCA grow its enrollment from 325 students to a more financially sustainable 500 students. The building will have maker spaces where students can practice hands-on technology, such as 3D printing, robotics and building modeling. Other enhancements include a state-of-the-art library, classrooms, study areas, conference space, gymnasium and auditorium. The existing HFCA building, at 29th Street and Capitol Drive, will become a middle school enrolling 325 students.
“The new school will also be closer to community businesses and nonprofits, which means our kids will have shorter distances to travel to internships, job shadows and mentoring by corporate volunteers,” Parker said.
HFCA is open to all students in Milwaukee and serves those with academic and special needs. The student body is primarily Black; 96 percent of its students are considered economically disadvantaged. Every student has an adult mentor and a personalized learning plan.
“We want to make sure our students are academically prepared for the rigors of college and to enter the workplace and be successful,” Parker said. “We want them to have that dream, that fire in the belly.”
HFCA’s emphasis on readiness for higher education, whether that be a four-year college, two-year school or trade school, was invaluable for Zipporah Turnbull, a 2015 graduate.
“I’m glad I had an education that was college focused,” said Turnbull, who graduated in 2020 from University of Wisconsin-Stout and works as a community engagement fellow at the Foundation. “We had a lot of help with college applications, the ACT test and FAFSA [the federal financial aid form]. We spent time at Carroll University to get the feel of being on campus.”
The Foundation has had a longstanding commitment to youth and to bringing greater equity to the education sector.
“We have focused on trying to address disparities, such as through Milwaukee Succeeds and our investments in early childhood education,” said Janel Hines, vice president of community impact. “Our funding of HFCA is part of that continuum.”
The Foundation’s generational commitment supports HFCA in three ways: A $2 million impact investment, structured as a bridge loan, will help cover construction costs now, because capital campaign gifts do not come in all at one time. A $600,000 grant supports the capital campaign, and $400,000 over five years will be invested in scholarships for HFCA graduates. Individual Foundation donors have also contributed toward its campaign.
Fuller said the Foundation’s support — both financial and in terms of community connections — is invaluable
“Every single dollar we get is precious,” he said. “When the Greater Milwaukee Foundation makes a grant to you, that’s a powerful signal to other people and organizations.”