United Way of Wisconsin chosen as intermediary for Otto Bremer Trust

Feb 28
2 min read

The United Way of Wisconsin and its network of local United Ways across the state of Wisconsin, has been selected by the Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) as a philanthropic intermediary to administer and distribute funds through the Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund.

The United Way of Wisconsin network will administer $4,000,000 in funds for grants up to $75,000 to support local organizations that directly respond to immediate challenges and opportunities in the community.

More details will be released in March.

Thirteen United Ways in Wisconsin will be participating in the partnership this year:

United Way of Dane County
United Way of Door County
Great Rivers United Way
United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
United Way of Kenosha County
United Way of Marathon County
United Way of Portage County
United Way of Racine County
United Way of Sheboygan County
United Way of South Wood and Adams Counties
United Way St. Croix and Red Cedar Valleys
United Way of Washington County

United Ways will serve as local experts to ensure that the Otto Bremer Trust is increasing the positive impact in the regions it serves by providing and administering grants directly to organizations within Wisconsin that provide effective services and programs.

“The Otto Bremer Trust is proud to work with United Way of Wisconsin to administer and distribute grant funds in Wisconsin,” said Frank Miley, co-CEO and trustee, OBT. “The Trust’s mission has always been to fund organizations and programs that effectively address challenges and opportunities in their local communities. What better way to have a deeper understanding of where those challenges are than to work with an organization like United Way of Wisconsin, which is fully integrated into the communities and regions we serve. We look forward to working together to increase our impact.”

Local nonprofits, organizations, and groups may apply for funding from the OBT Community Responsive Fund through their local United Way partners. Qualified applicants focus on food, shelter, low-income healthcare clinics, disability services, and school-based mental health which are OBT Trust's 2026 Focus Areas.

“United Way St. Croix and Red Cedar Valleys is incredibly grateful and excited for this partnership and looking forward to helping strengthen the services and solutions that help our neighbors thrive," said Randy Morrissette II, Executive Director, “Partnering with the United Way of Wisconsin, a philanthropic intermediary for the Otto Bremer Trust, will allow us to direct critical resources to the organizations doing the most impactful work on the ground."

Eligibility for the 2026 OBT Community Responsive Fund and can be found on United Way of Wisconsin's Otto Bremer Trust page.

For more information about United Way of Wisconsin, visit www.unitedwaywi.org. For more information about Otto Bremer Trust, visit https://ottobremer.org.

Media release.