Milwaukee, WI, May 20, 2026 – Imagine MKE outlined today the initial steps of a three-point action plan to position and solidify Milwaukee’s arts and culture sector for long-term growth and success. The nonprofit is the only organization dedicated to advocating, advancing, and promoting the region’s entire creative sector.
“The action plan represents the shared vision and priorities of a deeply engaged coalition of funders, business and civic leaders, nonprofit board members, and arts and culture executives,” said Katie Heil, founding board chair, Imagine MKE. “We adamantly share the collective belief that Milwaukee’s creative sector is central to the region’s identity, economy, and future.”
Since mid-2025, Imagine MKE has convened nearly 100 individuals for planning retreats, feedback sessions, and implementation meetings with experts in analytics, philanthropy, and public policy and funding at the local and state levels.
“This has been a committed and collaborative effort grounded in data, best practices, honest dialogue, and robust discussion,” explained Christine Hojnacki, Imagine MKE’s executive director. “Together, we’ve developed a unified way forward with results-oriented solutions designed to demonstrate the sector’s value and change how Wisconsin supports and invests in its growth.”
Three-Point Plan
The three-point plan focuses on increased analytics, strategic philanthropy, and transformative public policy and funding:
- Develop an analytics model that annually collects, curates, and reports sector data to better inform planning and management, philanthropy, and advocacy strategies.
- Establish an Arts & Culture Philanthropy Council to assess data and engage in discussion to foster greater philanthropic collaboration, coordination, and financial impact.
- Pursue public policies that lead to a transformational increase in public funding for local, regional, and state arts and culture organizations.
Co-chairs will be named for each initiative and year one milestones and deadlines have been set. Work groups will lead the analytics and policy efforts.
The analytics model will build upon existing metrics and collect local organizational data and comparative information from other cities. Key 2026 activities include enlisting an academic or research partner. This workgroup will also support Imagine MKE’s partnership with Americans for the Arts on its Arts & Economic Prosperity Study, conducted every five years and currently the only source of sector wide data locally.
The Arts & Culture Philanthropy Council is a voluntary network of philanthropists, foundation leaders or program officers, and corporate philanthropy leaders who make funding decisions and substantial investments in local arts and culture organizations. This council is not a decision or grant-making entity but rather an affinity group interested in strengthening the impact of giving through continued learning, shared perspectives, and collaborative planning.
For policy development, initial steps include listening sessions to identify mutual interests in public funding for arts, culture, and related sectors with organizations such as the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and Wisconsin Counties Association. The policy workgroup will evaluate enlisting a lobbying/advocacy firm for 2027. Imagine MKE will continue to closely partner with Create Wisconsin to increase funding for the Wisconsin Arts Board and other statewide initiatives.
The work groups and the Philanthropy Council will hold their first meetings by the end of June. Imagine MKE will continue to share progress updates as further steps are finalized and milestones are reached.
“Transformative change requires patience, as well as persistence, and we’re meeting the moment with urgency, action, and community,” Hojnacki said. “This plan creates the advocacy infrastructure necessary to build a compelling value case and broad-based support for what we know is possible to achieve.”
