Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Oct 1942.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
86 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
32 people listed on the 990; $1.9M paid to officers and key staff.
Ellen Gilligan’s $281K as President ( End 8/24) is at the 63rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 661 $10–100M philanthropy & grantmaking nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Gilligan | $280,968 | $324,970 | $335,274 | $305,069 | $368,480 |
| Vincent Lyles | $227,063 | $198,567 | — | — | — |
| Gregory Wesley | $223,168 | — | — | — | — |
| Ken Robertson | $176,226 | $201,605 | $214,320 | $204,960 | $207,769 |
| Danae Davis | — | — | $175,611 | $185,874 | $195,273 |
| Kristen Mekemson | $190,603 | $141,808 | $141,572 | $167,588 | $162,823 |
| Kathryn Dunn | $132,105 | $169,659 | $173,810 | $185,172 | $185,555 |
| Kenyatta Sinclair | $156,640 | $132,951 | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See Greater Milwaukee Foundation INC executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Connects donors with local causes and awards discretionary grants to strengthen and sustain communities in the Greater Milwaukee region for future generations.
Questions for Greater Milwaukee Foundation INC
Your first name shows with your question. Greater Milwaukee Foundation INC answers here, for everyone.
Inspiring philanthropy, serving donors, strenghthening communities, now and for future GENERATIONS.FOR over 100 years, the greater milwaukee foundation has helped individuals and families committed to philanthropy leave a legacy, and build a stronger and more vibrant community - now and for future generations.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY24 | FY23 | FY22 | FY21 | FY20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $1.04B | $977.3M | $854.3M | $1.05B | $945.4M |
| Given inLn 1b | $41.5M | $45.5M | $60.1M | $52.2M | $48.8M |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $76.3M | $55.5M | $79.7M | $70.4M | $68.4M |
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $53.1M | $25.8M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $932.7M | $1.01B |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $115K | $365K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $1.01B | $1.08B |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $10.2M | $33.4M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $995.5M | $1.05B |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $67.8M | $67.8M | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $38K | $38K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.3M | $198K | $826K | $297K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $5.5M | $2.2M | $2.0M | $1.4M |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $498K | $155K | $251K | $92K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $1.0M | $315K | $524K | $161K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $561K | $163K | $286K | $111K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $59K | $28K | $16K | $15K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $197K | $197K | ||
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $54K | $54K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $2.0M | $2.0M | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $1.0M | $721K | $176K | $132K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $87K | $47K | $14K | $25K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $784K | $406K | $242K | $136K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $1.1M | $373K | $465K | $272K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $1.9M | $630K | $816K | $444K |
| TravelLn 17 | $47K | $31K | $13K | $3K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $429K | $79K | $310K | $40K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $68K | $23K | $29K | $16K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $950K | $407K | $392K | $151K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $85.5M | $73.6M | $8.6M | $3.3M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 14, 2025 | $85.2M | $85.5M | −$330K | $1.0B | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 13, 2024 | $78.0M | $65.4M | $12.6M | $995.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $87.6M | $89.9M | −$2.3M | $881.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Nov 12, 2022 | $151.8M | $72.6M | $79.2M | $1.1B | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Nov 12, 2021 | $102.1M | $70.7M | $31.4M | $979.8M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $85,176,235 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 17 of 17 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $85,176,235 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $85,506,672 across 20 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,079,014,557 assets, 24 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,045,588,400 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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