The MPC Endowment board has voted unanimously to match up to $5,000 in new donations to the Bob Wills FOI Fund, supporting journalistic freedoms and First Amendment rights.

The new fund honors Robert H. (Bob) Wills, longtime journalist at The Milwaukee Journal,  Milwaukee Sentinel and Journal Sentinel Inc. Wills was a national leader in efforts to protect and promote access to public records and public meetings. He was a founder of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and served as its first president from 1979 to 1986. Wills died in July at 95.

“The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is grateful to the Milwaukee Press Club for this initiative to honor our group’s founder, Bob Wills,” Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin FOI Council, said. “We are hoping to use the money to help create a legal defense fund for Wisconsin open government litigation. While the particulars are still being worked out, the goal will be to allow the council to assist parties in the filing of transparency lawsuits. It is a cause that we know Bob would have been proud to support.”

To donate to the Bob Wills FOI Fund, please go to bit.ly/DonateMPCEndowment. Include the instructions “Wills FOI.”

MPC Endowment, Ltd., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is an independent affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club. Since 1973, the Endowment has been supporting advances in journalism excellence through scholarships, awards and program assistance. Donations to the Endowment qualify as charitable contributions under IRS rules.

Donations to the Bob Wills FOI Fund qualify for dollar-to-dollar matches until the Endowment’s $5,000 challenge grant runs out. The challenge grant expires on March 16, 2022, national FOI Day. After that, whatever remains of the $5,000 grant will revert to the Endowment’s general fund.

For more information, contact JoelDresang@MPCEndowment.org

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