By Molly Dill
LISC Milwaukee last night launched a new real estate grant fund called the Dr. Mark Eppli Catalytic Venture Fund.
The fund, announced at LISC’s annual Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation event, will be available solely to alumni of Marquette University’s Associates in Commercial Real Estate program, which is an educational program for minorities that want to pursue careers in the commercial real estate industry. The fund was named in honor of Eppli, who started the ACRE program and is leaving Marquette at the end of this school year.
Mark Eppli received a Northern Trust Navigator Award Thursday at the MANDI awards program.
So far, LISC has raised about $110,000 for the fund. Wells Fargo and an anonymous donor each contributed $25,000; Associated Bank, Greater Milwaukee Foundation and The Mandel Group each gave $10,000+; Cinnaire, Forward Community Investments, Town Bank and U.S. Bank each contributed $5,000; and Greater Milwaukee Committee, LISC executive director Donsia Strong Hill and Hatch Staffing Services each gave between $1,000 and $4,000.
Strong Hill hopes to grow the fund to $200,000 within the next 12 weeks, so it’s ready to begin making revolving grants when the current ACRE class is finished.