Northwestern Mutual Invests $5.5M towards Expanding Access to High-Quality Education and Improving Student Outcomes in Milwaukee

Funding provides resources to empower educators, strengthen curriculum, and help students prepare for long-term success

MILWAUKEE, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, is continuing its long-standing commitment to Milwaukee's youth by announcing a $5.5 million investment to support 70 local schools and education nonprofits. This brings the company's total contribution to advancing education in the city to more than $75 million over the past three decades.  

Now in its fourth year, the Northwestern Mutual Summer Teacher Grant program continues to expand. This year, 85 projects were awarded, spanning innovative teaching approaches, targeted student support and engaging learning experiences, including hands-on STEM programming, tutoring, and resources tailored to different learning needs. To date, the initiative has funded nearly 200 projects.

"Strong student outcomes begin with supporting educators and the work happening every day in the classroom," said Steve Radke, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "We're proud to work alongside schools and community partners to expand opportunities that help students reach their full potential while building a stronger pipeline of talent for our city."

Of this year's projects, over a dozen are focused on increasing student reading proficiency. Pilgrim Lutheran School has received several Summer Teacher Grants since 2024, geared towards enhancing literacy curriculum and outcomes.  

"Our continued partnership with Northwestern Mutual has allowed us to make meaningful progress in strengthening literacy instruction across our classrooms," said Kimberly Springer, Principal at Pilgrim Lutheran School. "With sustained support, we've been able to implement targeted approaches that help students build the foundational reading skills they need to succeed."

As part of its broader annual investment, Northwestern Mutual is dedicated to empowering students through every stage of their academic journey, from strengthening early childhood and K–12 pathways to expanding access to postsecondary opportunities. In addition, the company is supporting students pursuing postsecondary education—funding scholarships, university grants and supplemental services that help more students succeed and transition into the workforce. To date, Northwestern Mutual has funded more than 190 scholarships totaling nearly $3.6 million through the company's Hometown HBCU Connection program and a partnership with All-In Milwaukee, supporting students in pursuing higher education and career opportunities.

To learn more about the company's educational support, visit www.northwesternmutual.com/sustainability. 

About Northwestern Mutual Foundation   

The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $575 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company's employees and financial representatives live and work. We accomplish this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. Our efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods, and making our hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.   

About Northwestern Mutual  

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals  with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $780 billion of total assets¹ managed across the company's institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $40 billion in revenues, and $2.5 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life insurance, disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 109 on the 2026 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2026. 

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.  

¹ Includes investments and separate account assets of Northwestern Mutual as well as retail investment assets held or managed for clients.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual