Badger Meter Foundation directs its philanthropy to strengthening local civic philanthropy and community-wide grantmaking in the Milwaukee region. Its giving appears focused on supporting philanthropic infrastructure rather than program-specific nonprofits, as evidenced by a single large, unrestricted grant to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. This suggests the foundation prefers to enable pooled community resources and local grantmaking capacity to address a range of needs in its service area.
Badger Meter Foundation Inc centered nearly all of its 2023 giving on Milwaukee-area community philanthropy, with a $2,071,609 general grant to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation standing out as the largest recent award. That single grant signals a pattern of supporting pooled local resources and intermediary grantmaking rather than directing all funds to individual programs. Beyond that anchor grant, the foundation also backed organizations tied to health, food access, education, arts, and neighborhood services across Wisconsin, including Milwaukee Water Council and Childrens Hospital, both at $30,000. Most of the grants in the recent list are general-purpose awards, and many sit in the $2,500 to $5,000 range, which points to a broad local portfolio built around flexible support. The grant list also shows a strong concentration in Milwaukee itself, with additional awards reaching nearby Wisconsin communities such as Grafton, Madison, Wauwatosa, West Bend, Brown Deer, Beaver Dam, and Washington County. Overall, the foundation’s profile is defined by place-based giving, community foundation support, and a mix of civic and service-oriented nonprofits in its service area.
A major theme in the foundation’s giving is support for philanthropic infrastructure. The largest grant in the recent record went to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation for general purposes, and a second general grant to the same intermediary reinforced that community-foundation role. Health and human services also appear in the list: Childrens Hospital received $30,000, while Hunger Task Force received $8,000 and Feeding America Second Harvest received $6,000. Education and youth development show up through Brown Deer Scholarship Fund, Junior Achievement, and Alverno College, each listed with general support. The foundation also supported community access and enrichment through the Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee Art Museum, Urban Ecology Center, and Milwaukee Center for Independence, all as general grants. These awards suggest a preference for flexible funding across local institutions rather than tightly restricted project grants.
The recent grant list shows a typical award profile centered on small general grants: the 25th percentile is $2,500, the median is $3,000, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. That distribution sits alongside one much larger community-foundation grant, indicating a structure that combines a major intermediary award with many smaller local awards. Every grant in the supplied 2023 list is marked general. Recipients appear across a single latest filing year, so the pattern here is best read as a one-year snapshot rather than a multi-year recurrence record. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$2.3M
$0
$465K
$2.3M
Most grants fall between $3K and $5K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Highly concentrated: one very large, unrestricted gift to a regional community foundation rather than multiple program-specific grants; appears to favor enabling pooled local grantmaking over direct service funding.
Notable grantees: Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Grant activity is overwhelmingly Wisconsin-based, with 97% of grants going to recipients in the state and the top state by count also Wisconsin. Milwaukee is the main recipient city, appearing repeatedly across the list, including grants to Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Milwaukee Water Council, Childrens Hospital, Hunger Task Force, and Milwaukee Art Museum. Other Wisconsin recipients include Madison, Wauwatosa, West Bend, Brown Deer, Grafton, Beaver Dam, and Washington County. All listed grants in the supplied country distribution go to U.S. recipients.
The recent grants point to community foundations, health and human services, education, and civic or cultural institutions. Examples in the record include the Greater Milwaukee Foundation for general support, Childrens Hospital, Hunger Task Force, Feeding America Second Harvest, Junior Achievement, and the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The grant-size distribution is small-to-midrange: the 25th percentile is $2,500, the median is $3,000, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. The list also includes a much larger outlier grant of $2,071,609 to a community foundation intermediary.
Its giving is local and heavily concentrated in Wisconsin. The foundation reports 97% of grants to recipients in its headquarters state, and Milwaukee appears most often among recipient cities. Other Wisconsin recipient locations in the list include Madison, Wauwatosa, West Bend, Brown Deer, Grafton, and Beaver Dam.
Yes. Every grant shown in the recent list is marked GENERAL, including the large award to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and smaller awards to local nonprofits and community institutions.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,071,609 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION | MILWAUKEE, WI | $40,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | MILWAUKEE, WI | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MILWAUKEE WATER COUNCIL | MILWAUKEE, WI | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| HUNGER TASK FORCE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| PORTAL INDUSTRIES | GRAFTON, WI | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| FEEDING AMERICA SECOND HARVEST | MADISON, WI | $6,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MILWAUKEE RESCUE MISSION | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| PENFIELD CHIRLDREN'S CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| BROWN DEER SCHOLARSHIP FUND | BROWN DEER, WI | $4,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UNITED COMMUNITY CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $4,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| BEST BUDDIES WISCONSIN | WAUWATOSA, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| BEYOND VISIONWISCRAFT INC | MADISON, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| DESIGNING DREAMS | BEAVER DAM, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| VERSITI BLOOD RESEARCH INSTITUTE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ALVERNO COLLEGE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY | WEST BEND, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SOJOURNER FAMILY PEACE CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SILVER SPRING NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| JOURNEY HOUSE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| URBAN ECOLOGY CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| BENEDICT CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| INTERFAITH CAREGIVERS | WEST BEND, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| AUDIO & BRAILLE LITERACY ENHANCEMENT | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION OF SE WISCONSIN | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| NEXT DOOR | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MILWAUKEE CENTER FOR INDEPENDENCE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| FIRST STAGE CHILDREN'S THEATER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SCHLITZ AUDUBON CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MESSMER CATHOLIC SCHOOLS | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| RIVERS EDGE NATURE CENTER | SAUKVILLE, WI | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $250 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY | SYRACUSE, NY | $250 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE FOUNDATION | KENOSHA, WI | $50 | 2023 | GENERAL |
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
$30,000GENERAL
MILWAUKEE WATER COUNCIL
$30,000GENERAL
PORTAL INDUSTRIES
$8,000GENERAL
FEEDING AMERICA SECOND HARVEST
$6,000GENERAL
MILWAUKEE RESCUE MISSION
$5,000GENERAL
MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO
$5,000GENERAL
BROWN DEER SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$4,000GENERAL
BEYOND VISIONWISCRAFT INC
$3,000GENERAL
DESIGNING DREAMS
$3,000GENERAL
ALVERNO COLLEGE
$3,000GENERAL
JOURNEY HOUSE
$3,000GENERAL
BENEDICT CENTER
$3,000GENERAL
INTERFAITH CAREGIVERS
$3,000GENERAL
AUDIO & BRAILLE LITERACY ENHANCEMENT
$3,000GENERAL
ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION OF SE WISCONSIN
$3,000GENERAL
SCHLITZ AUDUBON CENTER
$1,000GENERAL
MESSMER CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
$1,000GENERAL
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON FOUNDATION
$250GENERAL