Employ Milwaukee Inc
Employ Milwaukee Inc is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based public charity and the workforce development board serving Milwaukee County. It plans and coordinates workforce initiatives and supports programs connecting job seekers with employment, education, and training opportunities.
Employ Milwaukee Inc at a glance
In short: Employ Milwaukee Inc gave $3.6M across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $276K), mostly in Wisconsin. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,591,950
- -12.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $276,304
- +1.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $96,585
- Total assets
- $3,357,382
- -13.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (4 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (82% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Employ Milwaukee Inc
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 RFPs listed responses as due April 16, 2026. This deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The 2026 RFPs listed responses as due April 16, 2026.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1322 N 8Th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53205
Phone: (414) 270-1700
Website: https://employmilwaukee.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
9 open opportunities from Employ Milwaukee Inc
Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs (WIOA)
Employ Milwaukee Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Building Futures (High School Youth)
Employ Milwaukee Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
FORWD (Fostering Opioid Recovery through Workforce Development)
Employ Milwaukee Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Employ Milwaukee Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Dynamic Workforce Solutions ($1.2M). Together the top 10 received $3.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
71 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 18 grants of 71 (25%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Employ Milwaukee’s website identifies it as the workforce development board serving Milwaukee County. Its 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin (82%) and Kentucky (18%). The organization’s program descriptions also identify Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the geographic scope for FORWD and Building Futures, and Southeastern Wisconsin for MediWork$.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Employ Milwaukee Inc open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 13 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $91K; repeat grants $359K. How we count
Medians: $49K first-time, $141K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+9%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3.3M (2022) to $4.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $3.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Workforce Solutions Waukesha, WI | Workforce investment act dislocated worker, youth and adult activities | $1,162,170 |
| United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee Inc Milwaukee, WI | Workforce Investment Act Youth Activities | $669,855 |
| Equus Workforce Solutions Louisville, KY | Workforce Investment Act Dislocated Worker and Adult Activities | $655,881 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee Inc Milwaukee, WI | DCF and DWD Youth Activities | $277,573 |
| Wisconsin Regional Training Milwaukee, WI | Dol Youthbuild and Arpa Wai Activities | $253,105 |
| Milwaukee Water Works Milwaukee, WI | Dol Community Proj Activities | $141,232 |
| Mmac Community Support Milwaukee, WI | Dol Mend Adult Activities | $96,585 |
| Milwaukee Christian Center Inc Milwaukee, WI | Dol Youthbuild Activities | $90,351 |
| Center for Healthcare Careers Milwaukee, WI | Dol Mend Adult Activities | $73,703 |
| Waukesha County Waukesha, WI | Workforce Investment Act Adult Activities | $71,466 |
Ready to take the next step with Employ Milwaukee Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,357,382 | $16,085,795 | $15,316,127 | $3,591,950 | 13 | $2,613 |
| 2024 | $3,888,194 | $17,552,818 | $17,302,509 | $4,086,115 | 15 | $5,109 |
| 2023 | $3,971,949 | $18,644,621 | $19,916,288 | $4,020,533 | 13 | $20,272 |
| 2022 | $5,333,667 | $14,121,861 | $15,025,558 | $3,282,876 | 13 | $415 |
| 2021 | $5,350,025 | $18,087,018 | $15,980,631 | $3,756,632 | 17 | $1,992,791 |
| 2020 | $3,998,950 | $14,275,072 | $14,759,647 | $4,062,418 | 17 | $79 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Employ Milwaukee’s mission is to build a strong workforce development system by planning, coordinating, collaborating, and monitoring initiatives with businesses, partners, and community stakeholders at the local, regional, and state levels. Its stated goals include connecting job seekers to employment, providing education and training in high-growth, high-demand sectors, and supporting a skilled workforce for businesses in the Milwaukee 7 region.
The organization’s reported services include youth services, adult career-center services, and services for dislocated workers. In its 2024 filing, it reported serving 8,558 youth ages 14–21, 6,482 adult clients, and 381 dislocated workers. Its website describes programs that include paid and unpaid work experience, occupational training, career guidance, and supportive services.
Examples of organizations receiving grants in 2025 include United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee, whose stated mission is to strengthen city neighborhoods and improve quality of life for urban families, and Journey House, whose stated mission is to help families on Milwaukee’s Near South Side move out of poverty through adult education, youth development, workforce readiness, and family engagement. The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership describes its work as connecting people to family-sustaining jobs and developing services and training for employers.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Employ Milwaukee reported 13 grants totaling $3,591,950. Grant amounts ranged from $11,643 to $1,162,170, with a median of $96,585.
Among its largest reported grants were $1,162,170 to Dynamic Workforce Solutions for dislocated-worker, youth, and adult activities; $669,855 to United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee for youth activities; and $655,881 to Equus Workforce Solutions for dislocated-worker and adult activities. Other notable grants included $277,573 to Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee for youth activities, $253,105 to Wisconsin Regional Training for YouthBuild and ARPA WAI activities, and $141,232 to Milwaukee Water Works for community project activities.
The 2026 WIOA Adult/Dislocated Worker and In-School Youth RFPs describe opportunities to provide services through subrecipient agreements. They require proposal materials including agency identification, qualifications and experience, a service delivery plan, and performance or quality-assurance information. The RFPs state that resulting agreements are funded through U.S. Department of Labor WIOA grants and that subrecipients must comply with applicable grant requirements.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Carla Cross as chairperson, Andres Gonzalez as vice chairperson/treasurer, and Gregory Fritsch as secretary. Directors listed are Deshee Agee, Dan Bukiewicz, Dr. Brenda Cassellius, Shannon Chestnut, Randy Crump, Dr. Anthony Cruz, and Rodrick Cureton.
Employ Milwaukee Inc is led by Julie Cayo, Chief Executive Officer & Interim since 2024 (on filings since 2023); 3 of 34 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Julie Cayo
Chief Executive Officer & Interim
Chief Planning Officer → Chief Executive Officer & Interim, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$101K (2023) → $125K (2025)
Carla Cross
Chairperson
Director → Chairperson, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katherine Karshna
Director of Chc
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$103K (2024) → $106K (2025)
Alan Perlstein
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dan Bukiewicz
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Darryl Morin
Director
Secretary → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Deshee Agee
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eduardo Garza
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Spindler
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Mone
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Randy Crump
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Edgard Delgado
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Fogarty
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Kessenich
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maysee Herr
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amanda Manthey
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shanan Lesselyoung
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ernest Jones
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Mehrhoff
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Jaskie
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matt Martin
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rodrick Cureton
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ugo Nwagbaraocha
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Cruz
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brenda Casselius
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eduardo Galvan
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erik Kennedy
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Houston Jameson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jose Martinez
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shannon Chestnut
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Gibson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Annemarie Probst
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$102K (2024) → $144K (2025)
Andres Gonzalez
Vice Chairperson & Treasurer
Secretary → Director, 2024
Director → Vice Chairperson & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gregory Fritsch
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (34)
- Former: Chytania Brown (2020–2024) — President & CEO
- Former: Donald Layden (2020–2024) — Chairperson
- Former: John Kissinger (2020–2024) — Vice Chairperson & Treasurer
- Former: Keith Posely (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Lupe Martinez (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Vicki Martin (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Sylvia Swan (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Carlton Thompson (2024) — It Director
- Former: Lowell Raven (2020–2023) — Chief Financial Officer
- Former: Michael Daily (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Pam Fendt (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Steve Martin (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Jakiem Jackson-Bell (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Brian Levins (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Ossie Kendrix (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Patricia Woodward (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Sheila Cochran (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Wallace White (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Gene Manzanet (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kareeda Chones-Aguam (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kimber Bartosiak (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Lea Collins-Worachek (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Lois O'Keefe (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Peter Coffaro (2020–2021) — Chief Program Officer
- Former: Shepard Curtis (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Tasha Jenkins (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Ted Matkom (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Christopher Rowland (2021) — Director
- Former: Amy Hansmann (2020) — Director
- Former: Juvenel Levros (2020) — Director
- Former: May Yer Thao (2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Fabishak (2020) — Director
- Former: Patti Porth (2020) — Chief Financial Officer
- Former: Vera Ford (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $144K, to Annemarie Probst (Chief Financial Officer). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Employ Milwaukee Inc
How much does Employ Milwaukee Inc give each year?
Employ Milwaukee Inc gave $3.6M across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.1M across 15 grants.
What is Employ Milwaukee Inc's typical grant size?
Employ Milwaukee Inc's median grant in 2025 was $96,585, and its average grant was $276,304, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Employ Milwaukee Inc that year got $91K on average.
Where does Employ Milwaukee Inc give grants?
Employ Milwaukee Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Kentucky (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (10 grants) and Waukesha, WI (2 grants).
Does Employ Milwaukee Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Employ Milwaukee Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Dol Mend Adult Activities" (4 grants).
Who are Employ Milwaukee Inc's largest grantees?
Employ Milwaukee Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Dynamic Workforce Solutions ($1,162,170), United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee Inc ($669,855) and Equus Workforce Solutions ($655,881), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Employ Milwaukee Inc?
Employ Milwaukee Inc reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $16.1M.
What does Employ Milwaukee Inc fund?
Employ Milwaukee’s mission is to build a strong workforce development system by planning, coordinating, collaborating, and monitoring initiatives with businesses, partners, and community stakeholders at the local, regional, and state levels. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Employ Milwaukee Inc?
Employ Milwaukee Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check employmilwaukee.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Employ Milwaukee Inc's EIN?
Employ Milwaukee Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1636835. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 24, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Employ Milwaukee Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Employ Milwaukee Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/employ-milwaukee-inc-morg_b01fe98406ec4509a234f02d828a030e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391636835_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Employ Milwaukee Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/employ-milwaukee-inc-morg_b01fe98406ec4509a234f02d828a030e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Employ Milwaukee Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Employ Milwaukee Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?