Earlier this year, Executive Vice President, CFO and COO Ken Robertson and I were asked to speak about the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s racial equity and inclusion journey at a meeting of CF Leads’ Equity Network. As we were preparing for our fireside chat with Deborah Ellwood, who heads this national network of leadership-focused community foundations, I felt the strong tension between the value of celebrating positive change while acknowledging how much further we still must go.
We are striving for a thriving, equitable region while also working hard to build an inclusive culture within our own organization’s walls. The learning we can share is just a fraction of the understanding we have yet to gain, yet there is power in acknowledging the bright spots of a perpetual work in progress.
Among the brightest is a model where our strategies to reimagine philanthropy, catalyze systems change and convene and honor community voice marvelously intersect, setting the stage for transformational impact. This is the ThriveOn Collaboration, a historic commitment based in place and centered in community to advance racial, health and economic equity.
Bringing together the collective talent and resources of the Foundation, the Medical College of Wisconsin and developer Royal Capital, the collaboration is deeply rooted in relationships, beginning first and foremost with the residents of the Halyard Park, Harambee and Brewers Hill neighborhoods of Milwaukee, the geographic focal point of the work.
Community voice has informed every important decision, from programmatic priorities to the art, food and gathering spaces that will all live under one roof at ThriveOn King – once a department store and soon to be a neighborhood hub serving as the collaboration’s physical home and the Foundation’s future headquarters.
Building the interpersonal and organizational connections essential to the ThriveOn Collaboration began before the pandemic, and now we are building the structure to support our shared vision. In the last few months, we have taken some significant strides:
- Construction on the ThriveOn King redevelopment began in earnest last week, and some of the first visible signs of change will be the demolition of the loading dock and removal of the metal panels currently covering the eastern and northern facades of the building. Aligned with our values, our team is being proactive to maximize local hiring of unemployed and underemployed individuals on our way to completion of the project, anticipated in November 2023.
- In early April, the Foundation issued a $1.54 million impact investment loan to JCP Construction, a local, Black-owned firm that will be a contractor for the ThriveOn King project along with CG Schmidt. The loan gives JCP the support it needs for growth and job creation, resulting in a positive impact for workers and the city’s economy. Impact investing is an example of philanthropy reimagined, because it allows the Foundation to use more of its resources in a manner that generates social benefit as well as a financial return for reinvestment in future projects.
- As a strong initial response to a top resident-identified priority, the collaboration is making a dual investment in early childhood education by integrating a top-tier center in the ThriveOn King building and committing significant resources to support established providers in the three adjacent neighborhoods. I am thrilled that Malaika Early Learning Center – already a trusted provider serving Harambee – will open a second site at ThriveOn King, while the Foundation and partners mobilize $5 million for facilities improvements and cohort-based learning for providers located throughout the three neighborhoods. These steps to increase access to high quality early education fit snugly into our strategies for fundamentally changing the systems that serve our youngest learners and their families.
The ThriveOn Collaboration does not represent the full extent of the Foundation’s commitment to a thriving community, just as the Foundation alone does not possess the means to achieving a Milwaukee for all. But as we and our partners listen to learn, invest in the ideas of residents, open seats at the table for all philanthropists and work together on solutions that are equal to the challenges we face, the impact will be felt by everyone.
Not only is that change worth celebrating; it’s worth joining – explore how our inclusive Greater Together Campaign could be the agent for change you’re seeking to take action on your passion for our shared and beloved community. Thank you to our committed donors and everyone already aligned with us in partnership.
Ellen M. Gilligan
President & CEO