Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee Bucks Foundation is set to give out $250,000 of grant money to 20 Wisconsin-based nonprofits the NBA franchise is teaming up with this summer.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide grants to these 20 organizations, whose hard work and dedication to the community we want to amplify and support,” Bucks executive director Arvind Gopalratnam told CBS 58 Milwaukee. “We look forward to strengthening our relationship with these grantee recipients so that, together, we can continue to make a positive impact on our community.”

The donations have been earmarked for organizations that align with the foundation’s pillars of health and wellness, economic and individual empowerment, education, civic engagement, criminal justice and law reform, with the team selecting organizations that support and target mental health, justice reform, youth sports funding, therapy and environmental change.

To highlight the partnerships, the team hosted a reception and panel discussion at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday, Aug. 11, as a part of a celebration of these donations and the grant recipients.

Among this summer’s grant recipients are 100 Black Men of Greater Milwaukee, an organization supporting black men; Boys and Girls Club of Dane County; Ma’Ruf, a nonprofit focused on the marginalized groups of Muslims in the community; Milwaukee Public Libraries and the Benedict Center, which helps women struggling within the criminal justice system.