Local nonprofit United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County has received a $5 million donation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The donation comes from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, a $2 billion philanthropic commitment that awards organizations and civil groups working to combat homelessness. The fund has awarded 280 leadership awards totaling more than $850 million since 2018, according to its website.
United Way President and CEO Amy Lindner told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in an email the organization is “thrilled to receive this game-changing grant.”
“While every donation we receive throughout the year is important, we are especially grateful to be acknowledged by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund for the work that we are doing every day to keep families safely in their homes,” she said.
Lindner added the grant is “a testament to the hard work and dedication” of community members who aid United Way.
The organization intends to use the funds to “continue to find and fund ways to keep families safely housed,” according to Lindner, which includes identifying, sheltering and rehousing those in need.
One particular effort the grant will assist with is United Way’s Safe & Stable Homes initiative, Lindner said. The initiative aims to end family homelessness in the four counties United Way serves — Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.
“While this grant will help in supporting our Safe & Stable Homes initiative, there is always more we can do to help families in need,” Lindner said. “We will continue to raise funds through our annual campaign to help sustain the progress we’ve made.”
While this is the first time United Way has been recognized by the Bezos Day 1 Family Fund, the nonprofit also received a $25 million donation from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, Bezos’ ex-wife, in 2021.
You can find out more information about United Way on its website at https://unitedwaygmwc.org/.
