Green Bay Packers Foundation awards $450K in annual grants

GREEN BAY (WITI) -- The Green Bay Packers Foundation has awarded $450,000 to 145 civic and charitable groups throughout the state of Wisconsin in its annual distribution of grants, Charlie Lieb, chairman of the Foundation committee, announced Tuesday, February 12th. Both the total donation amount and the number of recipient organizations are records for the Foundation.

The groups were guests at a luncheon Tuesday at the Lambeau Field Atrium, an event that welcomed all the recipients and honored the outstanding efforts and services performed by each of the organizations.

Including these grants, the Foundation has distributed more than $3 million for charitable purposes since it was established in 1986 by Judge Robert J. Parins, then president of the Packers Corporation, "as a vehicle to assure continued contributions to charity."

Of the Foundation's contributions, 48 grants – aggregating $166,500 – were awarded to Brown County organizations.

Additional grants, totaling $283,500, were made to 97 other groups around the state.

Lieb made the grant announcements during a press conference at the Lambeau Field Atrium prior to the luncheon.

Additionally, under the Packers Scholarship Program, established in 2002, $15,000 was awarded – $7,500 to Scholarships Inc., for distribution to students in four-year colleges, and $7,500 to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) for distribution to students in two-year associate degree or apprenticeship trades programs. A portion of the scholarship funds come from National Football League Properties which, at the Packers' request, returns to the Foundation royalty fees paid for using the Packers logo on Wisconsin automobile license plates. Because the royalties do not fully cover the scholarships, the Green Bay Packers fund the remainder of the amount, a figure which totals $78,000 since 2006.

In the past year, the Packers Foundation also has distributed an additional $60,375 on behalf of National Football League Charities – $20,000 in “Community Quarterback” awards to civic leaders for contributions to the community, $12,375 in the NFL’s “Coach of the Week” program which honors successful Wisconsin high school coaches on a weekly basis throughout the season, $20,000 through the “Hometown Huddle/Youth Fitness Zone” program, $3,000 to the “Play 60 Challenge” to encourage healthy lifestyles amongst our youth and $5,000 for the NFL National Partnership Grant focusing on efforts related to the military.

"We’re honored to recognize the efforts of this year’s recipients,” Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said at the event. "We congratulate each of them for the tremendous impact they make in their communities.”

The Green Bay Packers Foundation Trustees include, in addition to Lieb, Tom Arndt, Rick Chernick, Terry Fulwiler, Johnnie Gray, George Hartmann, Mark McMullen, Tom Olson, Diane Roundy and Mark Skogen. Bobbi Jo Eisenreich is the secretary of the Foundation.

The grants and other programs highlighted Tuesday are two components of the Packers’ efforts in the community. Also, the Packers’ community outreach department responded to more than 10,500 requests from organizations and individuals in 2012 with donated autographed items for fund-raising efforts that raised more than $3 million. Additionally, non-profit groups raised more than $750,000 by operating Lambeau Field concession stands during the 2012 season. These efforts, combined with direct cash donations by the Green Bay Packers to various charity endeavors, resulted in a comprehensive Packers charity impact in excess of $6 million in the past year.

A complete list of grant recipients:

Brown County Recipients:

Statewide Recipients: