The Republican National Convention is over, but its Host Committee may just be getting started dolling out funds that went unspent from the massive event.
On Thursday, Host Committee Chief Operating Officer Alison Prange announced $40,000 in grants to four Milwaukee-area organizations with the potential for more to come down the road once the committee has completed its accounting.
“They are the first groups to receive charitable contributions following the convention,” Prange said during a press conference at Fisher House Wisconsin, one of the organizations to each receive $10,000. Fisher House provides free lodging to families of veterans receiving care at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.
She said she hoped the Host Committee, the non-political arm of the convention tasked with raising money to stage the event in Milwaukee, would be able to contribute more but declined to give a sense at this point for how much might ultimately be given away.
Prange estimated the Host Committee raised more than $85 million. The funding paid for the build-out of Fiserv Forum into a TV-ready space, transportation for delegates, rental of the three convention venues and the welcome party for 15,000 people the night before the convention kicked off, she said previously.
The RNC was held July 15-18 at Fiserv Forum, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Baird Center.
The Host Committee also plans to give away furniture and other things like copy machines and refrigerators that were purchased for the convention, Prange said.
The organizations to receive the grants are:
- Fisher House Wisconsin
- Kingdom Prep Lutheran High School
- Notre Dame School of Milwaukee
- Veterans Community Project
Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.
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