Diversified Insurance Solutions: Kicks off second round of SPARK grants

Company looks to fund creative approaches to area challenges

Brookfield – Diversified Insurance Solutions, one of Wisconsin’s largest

full-service insurance brokerage firms, is awarding six $5,000 SPARK grants to area nonprofits

that take a creative and innovative approach to a local problem. Since it was launched in 2013

as part of the company’s 30th

provided a total of $30,000 to six organizations.

This year from February 1 to September 25, tax exempt, nonprofit organizations can

submit a grant request at www.DiversifiedSPARK.com. Over the course of nine months,

$30,000 will be awarded to six nonprofits to positively impact the community and people they

Diversified is looking to fund new or existing programs that use fresh ideas to address

a community need or problem. The company’s giveback program is interested in supporting

specific initiatives, events or actions that can be accomplished with a $5,000 grant or in

conjunction with other funds.

“We launched SPARK two years ago and, once we saw the impact we could have,

we decided to extend it for another year,” says James McCormack, founder and chairman of

Diversified Insurance Solutions. “In the past, our SPARK grants have made nature accessible to

special needs children and their families, provided intense reading assistance to teenage boys

who were significantly behind their grade level and helped launch a safe and loving summer

camp for foster children.”

According to McCormack, each time a SPARK grant was awarded, the nonprofit visited

Diversified so the company’s associates could learn more about the organization and what the

money would accomplish.

“Having the nonprofits tell us firsthand about their programs and who they were helping

was inspirational and moving. You’d look around the room and see people tearing up and

nodding their heads in support,” he explains. “Based on that, we knew we wanted to continue to

engage our associates and build on our culture of community support and involvement.”

This January to kick-off SPARK internally, Diversified hosted a blood drive with its

associates. The blood drive exceeded its participation goal by 15 percent and collected enough

red cell donations to impact the lives of 87 local patients.

Diversified Insurance Solutions is one of Wisconsin’s largest, full-service insurance

brokers, providing employee benefits, risk management and business insurance to area

companies. For more information, visit www.div-ins.com.