Molson Coors announced Tuesday it is donating $100,000 to Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to provide educational cost relief to students from underserved communities.
The donation is part of the company's $1.5 million investment in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) organizations. The company says this brings its total investment to $4.5 million since 2020.
“Molson Coors is committed to fighting for greater diversity, equity and inclusion in Milwaukee and beyond,” said Tami Garrison, community affairs director at Molson Coors. “We are proud to support Milwaukee Area Technical College as they continue to work towards increasing equitable access to education.”
Milwaukee has the lowest percentage of bachelor's degree holders for Black and Hispanic/Latinx students in any large metropolitan area, a 2016 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey found. The survey found that 12.7% of Black students hold bachelor's degrees, while 13.6% of Hispanic/Latinx students do. Meanwhile, over 60% of jobs in Wisconsin require education beyond high school.
Molson Coors says this year's funding will support nearly 80 students through MATC's Stormer Completion Grant program.
“As the largest and most diverse two-year college in the state, we are educating, providing and strengthening the talent pipeline for in-demand careers offered by employers in the Milwaukee area,” said MATC President Vicki J. Martin, Ph.D. "We are grateful to Molson Coors for sharing our commitments to equity in a way that empowers Milwaukee area students of color and launches them into careers important to our region’s future.”
Molson Coors said it is also donating more than $500,000 in grants to multiple nonprofits in Wisconsin "dedicated to fighting for equitable access to higher education, economic opportunity and social justice." This includes America's Black Holocaust Museum, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and more.
To learn more about the company's Project Justice,click here.
