The Greater Milwaukee Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $5.4 million to local nonprofit organizations and programs in the areas of arts and culture, community development, education, the environment, health and human services, and youth and family development.

Awarded in conjunction with the start of the foundation's centennial year celebrations, the grants include $100,000 to Guest House of Milwaukee for a new elevator at the homeless shelter's 118-year-old building; $130,000 to Marquette University in support of coaching and professional development for the forty teachers who run the Milwaukee Summer Reading Project; $90,000 to Albright Methodist Church to hire a neighborhood coordinator and youth program supervisors who will implement health and wellness strategies in the city's Capitol Heights neighborhood; and $75,000 to Ozaukee Washington Land Trust for acquisition costs related to protecting more than a thousand acres of land in Ozaukee and Washington counties.

Donor-advised funds accounted for nearly $4.3 million of the grants. The remaining $1.1 million was awarded through board-directed grants.

"While their interests are varied, donors of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation are often motivated to improve life outcomes for people in our community," said GMF president and CEO Ellen M. Gilligan. "Whether donors choose specific causes to support or provide the foundation with nimble resources to address the needs of our time, they can count on us to be a steadfast partner with one hundred years' experience in helping our community thrive."

For a complete list of grant recipients, visit the GMF website.