The Green Bay Packers Foundation announced this week it has awarded a total of $1.75 million in impact grants to 11 nonprofit organizations serving Brown, Dane and Milwaukee counties.

The Impact Grant Program, which first began in 2013, directs significant funds toward organizations that serve their communities each day. The grants of varying amounts were awarded to seven organizations in Brown County ($1.1 million total distribution), one in Dane County ($100,000 total distribution) and three in Milwaukee County ($550,000 total distribution). Representatives from each recipient organization gathered at Lambeau Field for a luncheon Monday to celebrate the grants.

"The Packers Foundation is proud to award grants to 11 Wisconsin organizations making profound impacts in the communities they serve," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. "We are pleased to recognize their commitment to enhancing lives and support the meaningful work they carry out daily."

Grants of varying amounts were awarded to the following nonprofits:

• Aspiro, Inc. (Brown): Aspiro will devote the grant toward their Beyond Expectations Campaign to modernize their Dousman Street campus, replace outdated systems and foster an environment that promotes learning, creativity and growth for clients.

• Bellin College (Brown): The impact grant will assist the Changing Healthcare. Changing Lives. Campaign, which will expand education access and eliminate financial barriers to strengthen the future of healthcare.

• Children's Museum of Green Bay (Brown): The grant will support Reaching New Heights, the Children's Museum of Green Bay's campaign to expand into a 26,000 square foot facility. With over $4.2 million raised and construction beginning soon, the new space will serve more children through innovative exhibits, educational programming and greater community access.

• CollegeReady (Brown): The grant will go toward the Local Futures Campaign to expand its college readiness services, doubling the number of underrepresented local youth to make their college dreams come true.

• Jackie Nitschke Center Inc. (Brown): The grant will help renovate Glas Haus into a new 16-bed Women's Residential Center, doubling the number of individuals JNC can serve and separate clients by gender to address the specific needs of each population.

• New Community Shelter, Inc. (Brown): New Community Shelter will devote the grant toward construction of permanent supportive housing, providing stable housing and services to end chronic homelessness in Green Bay.

• Wello (Brown): The grant will go toward Cultivating Community: Growing Farms and Families in Northeast Wisconsin through Wello's Farmers Truck that will travel in neighborhoods throughout the Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin region.

• Wisconsin Historical Foundation (Dane): The Wisconsin Historical Foundation will devote the grant toward its Campaign for a New Wisconsin History Center, an educational, cultural and historical resource benefiting and enriching the lives of Wisconsinites and visitors to Wisconsin for generations to come.

• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin – Metro Milwaukee (Milwaukee): The grant will be used for 3DE, a program that is systemically re-engineering the high school experience and expanding economic opportunity for more than 1,000 students at Bay View and Marshall High Schools.

• Neu-Life Community Development Inc. (Milwaukee): Neu-Life Community Development will utilize the grant award for NeuVue, an innovative, mixed-use development to help young people successfully bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood with opportunities to learn how to live independently, reinforcing positive life skills.

• The Salvation Army of Milwaukee (Milwaukee): The grant will go toward construction of The Center of Hope, a homeless shelter designed to meet the needs of the community in a dignified manner.

Since the Impact Grant Program began in 2013, the Packers Foundation has disbursed $11.9 million through impact grants, awarding grants to organizations that focus on a wide variety of need areas, including education, homelessness, and the health and wellbeing of children, families and the elderly. The Foundation now has distributed more than $28 million for charitable purposes since it was established in 1986. The Green Bay Packers Foundation is part of Green Bay Packers Give Back, the Packers' all-encompassing community outreach initiative. Packers Give Back includes appearances by players, alumni, coaches and

staff, monetary and in-kind donations, community events, Make-A-Wish visits, football outreach and much more. These efforts contribute to a comprehensive Packers charity impact that was in excess of $13 million last year.