Massachusetts

The Boston Foundation has announced the appointment of Courtney Brunson as director of the Greater Boston Partnership to Close the Racial Wealth Gap, which was formed in late 2022 to bring together dozens of top leaders from the nonprofit, government, and business sectors, as well as analysts and researchers, to advance a shared agenda of expanding homeownership for people of color to close the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. A civil rights attorney and racial justice advocate, Brunson most recently served as a political law associate at the Elias Law Group.

Michigan

The Midland Area Community Foundation has announced that its Midland Area Cultural Awareness Coalition initiative is celebrating Cultural Awareness Month during October. A celebration of culture and community in all its forms, Cultural Awareness Month brings together events from various groups in the community that explore and celebrate the idea of culture. This year, it has added a gathering with the Islamic Center, which is hosting a Meet Your Muslim Neighbors open house event on October 21, which will feature cultural displays representing Muslims worldwide, speakers sharing about faith and culture, and time to meet and talk with members of the local Muslim community.

New York

Brooklyn Community Foundation has announced that it has adopted a new name—Brooklyn Org (BKO)—and is launching a new platform at brooklyn.org, designed to mobilize the people and resources required to achieve its vision for a fair and just Brooklyn. According to the foundation, it is reimagining the community foundation model to become a more inclusive and engaging partner for all Brooklynites and supporters of social change. Acknowledging that the fundamental challenge it was established to address remains, BKO is launching a new strategic plan and a call for Brooklynites to help address inequity and injustice across the borough. By mobilizing an untapped base, BKO aims to rapidly expand the funding and resources it provides to the Brooklyn nonprofit community addressing urgent needs and systemic challenges.

Ohio

The Cleveland Foundation, in partnership with the mayor’s office and other community partners, has announced the launch of an application process for the City of Cleveland Neighborhood Safety Fund, which will provide grants for community-driven, evidence-informed programming serving Cleveland residents that address the root causes of violence. The grants will be made to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations aligned with the city’s multiyear comprehensive approach to violence prevention.

Wisconsin

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation has announced that longtime president and CEO Ellen M. Gilligan will retire next summer. During the 13 years of Gilligan’s tenure, the foundation has more than doubled its assets to over $1 billion and more than tripled its annual support for community organizations and initiatives. With Gilligan at the helm, the foundation cumulatively has awarded approximately $689 million in grants and raised nearly $900 million in new gifts and promises, including the largest single gift in its history in 2014.

The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation has announced that—in partnership with Microsoft, the Green Bay Packers, and the Community Foundation for the Fox River Valley in Aurora, Illinois—it is continuing to support an effort to preserve local journalism. The combined $135,000 commitment will extend support for the Northeast Wisconsin Journalism Initiative to fund the Northeast Wisconsin (NEW) News Lab, which was launched in 2021 as Microsoft’s fifth regional news pilot. The NEW News Lab is the largest and has the most varied network of partners of the five pilots. Partners include six regional news outlets: Fox Valley 365, Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Post-Crescent, the Press Times, Wisconsin Public Radio, and Wisconsin Watch. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Communications Department is an educational partner. Content produced by the NEW News Lab is shared at no cost for the purpose of increasing access and broadening awareness of community needs.