Northwestern Mutual to Fund Over 60 Teacher Summer Programs as Part of Larger $4.5M Pledge to Milwaukee Schools

Grants will increase student success throughout the school year with programs focused on the use of AI, pursuing dual enrollment, and more

MILWAUKEE, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, is deepening its long-standing commitment to high-quality education and student achievement in Milwaukee, pledging $4.5 million in 2025 which will support 70 local schools and nonprofits. This brings the company's total contribution to advancing education in the city to more than $71 million over the past 30+ years, with its investments providing additional support in one of three areas – academics, mental health, and family engagement. 

As part of its giving strategy, it's imperative to enable the success of the educators who are enriching the lives of classrooms and the wider school population each and every day. It's why for the third year, the Northwestern Mutual Summer Teacher Grant program will fund additional resources and programming that can strengthen teachers' skillsets and bolster their creativity.  

"Education lays the groundwork for a strong community and a strong workforce," said Steve Radke, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "We are thrilled to partner with exceptional educators, ensuring our schools can provide students opportunities to further develop their talents so our city can thrive for generations to come."

This year, more than 220 teachers across 17 primary and secondary charter, private and public schools were awarded a grant that will enable them to do just that. This is more than twice the number of projects funded last year. Projects vary in scope from intervention courses that will provide assistance to students struggling in specific subjects to trainings for teachers on recognizing and addressing occupational therapy needs within their own classrooms.

For instance, Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA) will see four summer projects funded, focusing on planning groups for the use of AI in classrooms, expanding their teacher pipeline, and supporting students pursuing dual enrollment in both high school and college courses.

"This grant program plays a pivotal role in our mission to provide equitable, high-impact educational opportunities for our HAPA scholars and professional growth for our educators," said Chris Her-Xiong, founder and CEO of Hmong American Peace Academy, one of the awarded teacher grant schools. "Northwestern Mutual's grants will allow us to move forward with strength and intentionality in areas that are critical to our long-term success."

As part of the larger annual investment committed, Northwestern Mutual is also supporting those in post-secondary education—funding scholarships, university grants, and supplemental services to enrich students' collegiate experiences. Since 2019, over 125 scholarships have been awarded through the company's expanded partnership with All-In Milwaukee, a college completion program which provides financial aid, advising, program, and career support to high potential, limited-income students. This is in addition to over 25 scholarships awarded through the Northwestern Mutual Hometown HBCU Connection program, funding Milwaukee students seeking to further their education at the historically Black college or university of their choice.

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 $550 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 nearly $700 billion of total assetsⁱ being managed across the company's institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $38 billion in revenues, and $2.4 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 110 on the 2024 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE^® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2025.

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 client assets held or managed by Northwestern Mutual.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual