Connecting people to work. Preparing people for life.
Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin Inc uses grantmaking to support employment, training, scholarships, and basic-needs services tied to its mission of connecting people to work and preparing people for life. Its largest recent grants went to Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago Inc in 2024 and 2025, alongside a mission-support grant to Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ in Milwaukee. That pattern points to an organization funding work that extends beyond a single program line, with grants used as a tool for operating support, mission support, and reporting-driven support. The foundation’s active programs show how that mission is implemented in practice: supported employment for people with significant disabilities, youth jobs programming for ages 16 to 24, community scholarships, and clean-energy training pipelines. It also backs emergency assistance through voucher-based help and customized training built with employers and local partners. Across these efforts, the focus stays on preparing people for jobs, removing barriers to work, and supporting transitions into education or employment. The grant record is local and centered in Wisconsin, with additional program activity that reaches into the Chicago area through related Goodwill operations and partner organizations.
Workforce development is the clearest throughline. The CEJA Clean Energy Training Program supports pre-apprenticeship training, contractor incubator activity, prime contractor accelerator work, and barrier-reduction services in DuPage, Kane, and Will counties. In youth employment, Empower Youth serves teens and young adults ages 16 to 24 in Chicago with job readiness training, coaching, supportive services, and job connections. Education support appears through the Goodwill Community Scholarships Program, which helps community members and dependents of Goodwill employees in the greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas pay for continuing education. The program notes that about 75% of recipients are first-generation college students. For basic needs and crisis response, the Goodwill Cares Community Assistance Program provides vouchers so participants in greater Milwaukee and Chicago can shop for essential clothing and household items during fires, homelessness, or job loss. The foundation also supports disability employment through AbilityOne-supported jobs at Naval Station Great Lakes.
$288K
$247.7M
$127.4M
$112.8M
Most grants fall between $600K and $885K, with a median of $827K.
25th Percentile
$600K
Median
$827K
75th Percentile
$885K
JACQUELINE HALLBERG
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Typical grant size is substantial: the 25th percentile is $600,164, the median is $827,258, and the 75th percentile is $885,244. The recent grants list also shows repeated support to the same recipient across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which suggests an ongoing relationship rather than isolated one-off awards. The foundation appears to use grants for mission support and reporting-driven support, alongside broader grant-making tied to organizational sustainability and core mission activities. Its program structure also includes unsolicited opportunities in several active programs, including supported employment, youth employment, clean-energy training, employee volunteerism, and customized training.
Grantmaking is local and entirely in the United States, with 100% of grants going to recipients in Wisconsin. The recipient list includes Milwaukee-based grantees, and the top state by grant count is Wisconsin. Active program geography extends beyond Milwaukee into the greater Chicago area and parts of Illinois, including Chicago, DuPage County, Kane County, and Will County, but the recorded grants themselves stay in Wisconsin. That makes the grant record more concentrated than the broader operating geography of the foundation’s programs.
Its stated focus areas include job training, employment services, workforce development, education and scholarships, community services, and environmental sustainability. The active program list adds supported employment for people with disabilities, youth employment, clean-energy workforce training, emergency assistance, and customized employer training.
The grant-size distribution is high and fairly tight: p25 is $600,164, the median is $827,258, and p75 is $885,244. That suggests the foundation usually makes six-figure awards at a similar scale rather than many small grants.
Yes for the recorded grants on file: 100% of grants went to recipients in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin is the top state by grant count. The active program geography is broader, but the grant record itself is entirely Wisconsin-based.
Yes for several active programs. The supported employment program, Empower Youth, Acts of Goodwill, CEJA Clean Energy Training Program, and Customized Training all list unsolicited applications as accepted. The scholarships program does not.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Program is for Goodwill employees to volunteer; community partners welcome businesses and organizations to volunteer alongside employees.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $288,307 | 2026 | GRANT - SEE FORM 990 |
| GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $780,934 | 2025 | GRANT - SEE FORM 990 |
| GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $920,229 | 2024 | GRANT - SEE FORM 990 |
| GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $873,583 | 2023 | GRANT - SEE FORM 990 |
| HOLY REDEEMER INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST | MILWAUKEE, WI | $57,853 | 2023 | MISSION SUPPORT |
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC
$288,307GRANT - SEE FORM 990
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC
$780,934GRANT - SEE FORM 990
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC
$920,229GRANT - SEE FORM 990
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO INC
$873,583GRANT - SEE FORM 990
HOLY REDEEMER INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST
$57,853MISSION SUPPORT