Milwaukee, March 11, 2026 – Nonprofit Acts Housing today announced it reached its $26.4 million fundraising goal for its Opening Doors Campaign, which launched in 2022. The transformational capital campaign aims to reshape the local housing landscape and expand home ownership opportunities, especially for families with low to moderate incomes.
Acts Housing provides homebuyer and financial education and coaching, lending and real estate services, and home rehab coaching to aspiring homebuyers with income, credit, language, and other barriers.
“This was Acts Housing’s first large fundraising campaign, and its success will open the doors to homeownership for hundreds of additional families every single year. Homeownership not only creates a foundation for a family, but at this scale will strengthen entire neighborhoods,” said Acts Housing President & CEO Michael Gosman.
Campaign contributions funded the nonprofit’s initiative to increase the supply of affordable housing through a $10+ million Acts Homes acquisition fund. Launched in 2023, Acts Homes buys, rehabs in partnership with local contractors, and sells affordable homes to owner-occupants who have completed homebuyer education classes from Acts or other HUD-certified agencies. To date, Acts Homes has purchased and rehabbed more than 100 homes in Milwaukee.
Donations raised also funded the expansion of Acts Lending, established in 2013 to provide mortgage loans to families unable to qualify for traditional financing. The Opening Doors Campaign adds $14 million to the Acts Lending loan fund which will help at least 1,000 more families become homeowners during the next 10 years. Additional funds raised support the operations of these programs.
Community-Wide Support and Investment
The Opening Doors Campaign garnered community-wide interest, support, and investment from local corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. This includes three grants from the Zilber Family Foundation ($2.75MM total), $ 2.5MM from Milwaukee County, and a leadership donation from Christine Symchych and James P. McNulty ($2MM). The Campaign concluded in December with a final surge of support thanks to a $500,000 Match Challenge from the National Exchange Bank Foundation.
The City of Milwaukee also made a $1.25 million contribution and has declared 2026 the Year of Housing. “All across city hall we’re making housing a priority, and community partners like Acts Housing are essential to making homeownership possible,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “Everything, literally everything, begins at home. A safe, stable, affordable home is the foundation for our health, for our education, our jobs and our neighborhoods.”
“When families have access to stable and affordable housing, children do better in school, local businesses grow, and communities become safer and more connected,” Gosman added. “That’s why the Opening Doors campaign was so critical. Its success reflected a shared belief that housing is foundational and shows that when our community comes together with a mutual cause, we can create lasting change.”
About Acts Housing
Act Housing provides homebuyer and financial education and coaching, lending and real estate services, and home rehab coaching. Since its founding in 1995, more than 4,500 families have purchased homes with the nonprofit’s support. Acts families have also reclaimed and rehabbed over 1,000 foreclosed properties, investing over $400 million in their new homes and communities. Total equity for Acts families who still own their homes exceeds $143 million, creating generational wealth and needed stability to our community.
