From: Anne Summers
Greetings,
As a grantee and partner of Brico Fund, I want to share some important news with you.
As many of you know, Brico Fund has been in transition for the past few years, re-evaluating its funding priorities and ways of operating. To that end, I want to let you know that Brico Fund is being brought back into the Lynde Uihlein family office where Lynde and her family will work to continue their philanthropic endeavors. In consequence, the current staffing structure will be dissolved by the end of 2017. The future direction of the Fund will be determined by the family.
I will be working closely with Lynde through the end of January to make recommendations and to evaluate our funding relationships under the current programmatic strategies. While this news is sudden, the purpose and intent of Brico Fund has always been to use funding as a foundation for people and organizations to be catalysts for change. We applaud you for the impact of your work, accomplished with the funds you have stewarded so well.
While I don’t have specifics for the future, I hope to help make this transition as smooth as possible for you. We intend to be thoughtful in our process and to build upon the impact of your work. As the direction moves forward we will post updates at www.bricofund.org on funding processes and deadlines.
It’s been an honor to serve the Fund these past 14 years and I look forward to learning, along with you, about the future impacts the Fund will create. I am proud of the work we did with you, our grantees and partners, to build the collective capacity of people and organizations to actively and sustainability improve the civic, cultural and natural environment in Wisconsin.
Thank you for your leadership and inspiration.
My best,
Anne
From: Admin
Date: December 18, 2017 at 12:13:39 PM CST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Brico Fund Update from Lynde Uihlein.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
You have heard by now that significant changes are in store for the Brico Fund. Anne Summers, the Director for many years, will be leaving Brico at the end of January, and the Fund’s headquarters will return to my family office.
If the mission I have espoused over the years is of value, then it’s imperative that I create a process for Brico to continue after me.
To the extent possible, I want to assure you that dramatic change is not my intention in the short term. There will, however, be an evolution in my funding. I will work with my colleagues through 2018 to consider what this evolution will look like.
As you know, my focus had been to fund primarily in Wisconsin. The current national climate has persuaded me to consider funding the broadest of interests: women’s rights, civil rights, press freedom, and climate change. Adding these essential issues to the portfolio will of necessity reduce the size of some grants, and eliminate others.
My intention is that nothing will change precipitously. I will be seeking the input of colleagues who are well versed in the history of Brico to advise me on the best way to proceed. As we evolve, updates on our direction will be available from our website, www.bricofund.org.
I thank each and every one of you for the support and partnership that I have come to rely on. It’s my hope that we will continue to pull together on the vision we share.
Yours sincerely,
Lynde Uihlein
