March 5, 2024 – Open records initiatives could benefit from a matching challenge grant recently presented to the MPC Endowment, which is the charitable affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club.
A club member who wishes to remain anonymous will match donations – up to $5,000 in total – to the Bob Wills Memorial Freedom of Information Fund. That fund was created in 2021 to honor the late Bob Wills, a longtime leader in the Milwaukee newspaper community and the founder of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.
“The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is enormously grateful to the Milwaukee Press Club’s Endowment for creating this fund in the name of our founder, Bob Wills, a titan in the fight for open and accountable government,” said Bill Lueders, president of the Council. “We will build on this endowment with the future in mind, using it wisely to assist others in navigating the often choppy waters of our transparency laws. The more sunshine we can bring to the workings of government, the better.”
Funds donated for the challenge grant will be added to those invested by the Endowment, with earnings to be used to provide grants to the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.
Donations to meet the challenge should be made by April 15, 2024, and can be made via the Press Club’s website at https://milwaukeepressclub.org/mpc-endowment/ or by mailing to MPC Endowment Ltd., 1505 N. 119th St., Wauwatosa WI 53226-3241. Include a note designating the donation for the Bob Wills Fund.
The MPC Endowment, a 501(c)3 organization, this year is marking its 50th anniversary of supporting excellence in Wisconsin journalism by providing scholarships for university journalism students, and by providing grants to organizations and high school and college programming and conferences.
The challenge comes as the focus on open government and freedom of information is about to be spotlighted during the March 10-16 National Sunshine Week.
“Donations in support of this challenge grant are a great way to mark National Sunshine week and support the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council’s work to safeguard access to information that citizens must have to act responsibly in a free and democratic society,” said Joel Dresang, MPC Endowment board president.
