By Corrinne Hess, Wisconsin Public Radio
This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.
Environmentalist and philanthropist Lynde B. Uihlein donated $10 million to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Foundation, one of the largest gifts in the school’s history.
The endowment will benefit the School of Freshwater Sciences, supporting student education and its faculty.
The money will also provide operating funds for the school’s research vessels, the R/V Neeskay and a new research vessel, R/V Maggie Sue.
UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson called the gift a “game changer” for the university and the School of Freshwater Sciences.
“Not only for its size, but to enhance the school’s mission and work,” Gibson said. “This is a transformative commitment to UWM, and its effects will be felt by generations of students.”
In 2019, an anonymous donor associated with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation committed $10 million to the School of Freshwater Sciences to build a research vessel. UWM’s largest gift came in 2023 when the Zilber Family Foundation announced $20 million to the College of Public Health.
This is not Lynde B. Uihlein’s first gift to UWM.
Uihlein established the Brico Fund in 1989, a nonprofit grant-making organization originally focused on feminism, that later expanded to include environmental projects.
The Center for Water Policy and an endowed chair position at UWM are funded by a $2.6 million gift Uihlein gave to the university in 2011.
Karen Schapiro, environment program advisor for the Brico Fund, spoke Thursday on behalf of Uihlein during an event at the School of Freshwater Sciences announcing her most recent gift.
“The work happening here stands at the forefront of discovery, innovation and stewardship,” Schapiro said. “It will expand opportunities for students, accelerate critical research and strengthen this world’s ability to address challenges from issues connected to water quality and quantity.”
Of the $10 million, $4 million will be used to support the core mission of the school including research, faculty and buying equipment; $4 million will fund the Center for Water Policy and $2 million will be used for year-round maintenance and operation of the research vessels.
In a statement, Uihlein said UWM’s freshwater researchers are an important safeguard for the Great Lakes.
“They provide drinking water for our children, jobs for the regional economy,” she wrote. “We must do all we can to protect and understand them. There is no place better to invest in this cause than UWM and the School of Freshwater Sciences.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2026, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
