Radio Milwaukee Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO REACH A NEW GENERATION OF RADIO LISTENERS ON AIR, ONLINE AND IN THE COMMUNITY WITH A COMPELLING SELECTION OF MUSIC AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMING. THE CORPORATION CELEBRATES MILWAUKEE MUSIC, ARTS, HERITAGE, AND CULTURE BY SUPPORTING AND CONTRIBUTING TO A COMMUNITY THAT ENCOURAGES MULTI-ETHNIC COLLABORATION AND CONVERSATION AND BY PROMOTING A POSITIVE GLOBAL IDENTITY FOR THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE.
- Income
- $5.0 million
- Spending
- $4.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 62%
- Reserves
- 3.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 53%
- Employees
- 42
- Volunteers
- 150
- Highest pay
- $173,000, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 58% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 5% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 17% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 54% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1562% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 44 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2513 of 13 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (5)
- $1.9 million spent. RADIO MILWAUKEE IS A PUBLIC RADIO STATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ESTABLISHED IN 2007, THE STATION HIGHLIGHTS MILWAUKEE'S VIBRANT COMMUNITY, SHOWCASING ITS MUSICIANS, NON-PROFITS, AND INDIVIDUALS WHO CONTRIBUTE TO ITS DIVERSITY AND VITALITY. DAILY, RADIO MILWAUKEE FEATURES FRESH MUSIC, LOCAL ARTISTS, AND COMMUNITY STORIES THAT CELEBRATE THOSE WORKING TO ENHANCE THE CITY'S LIVABILITY. THE STATION FOSTERS AN ACTIVE ONLINE COMMUNITY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND A DYNAMIC WEBSITE WITH COMMUNITY CALENDARS. LISTENERS WORLDWIDE CAN TUNE IN VIA ONLINE STREAMING. IN 2024, RADIO MILWAUKEE CONTINUED ITS PROGRAMMING OF NATIONALLY SYNDICATED SHOWS LIKE ALT LATINO, ALL SONGS CONSIDERED, JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA, AND WORLD CAFE, ALONGSIDE NEW LOCAL SEGMENTS AND PROGRAMS.
- $266,087 spent. IN JUNE 2022, RADIO MILWAUKEE LAUNCHED ITS LATEST CHANNEL, "HYFIN." THIS BLACK-LED, DIGITAL-FIRST MEDIA INITIATIVE AIMS TO CONNECT CULTURES AND CELEBRATE THE FULL RANGE OF BLACK MUSIC. AS MILWAUKEE'S ONLY URBAN ALTERNATIVE RADIO STATION, HYFIN OFFERS A DIVERSE ARRAY OF BLACK MUSIC BEYOND JUST R&B AND HIP-HOP, WHILE ALSO FEATURING LOCAL MILWAUKEE ARTISTS. THE CHANNEL KEEPS AUDIENCES INFORMED WITH THE LATEST NEWS ON BLACK CULTURE, PODCASTS, AND MORE. HYFIN BROADCASTS ON-AIR AT 88.9FM HD2, ONLINE AT HYFIN.ORG, AND THROUGH THE 88NINE AND HYFIN MOBILE APPS. FUNDING COMES FROM GENEROUS DONATIONS BY CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTERS, AND SPONSORSHIPS. IN 2024, HYFIN, POWERED BY RADIO MILWAUKEE, ORGANIZED A DIVERSE ARRAY OF COMMUNITY-FOCUSED EVENTS, SHOWCASING THEIR COMMITMENT TO CELEBRATING BLACK CULTURE AND SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES. A STANDOUT EVENT WAS THE BLACKITY BLACK HOLIDAY MARKET. THIS SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY INITIATIVE FEATURED BLACK-OWNED VENDORS FROM THE MILWAUKEE AREA, OFFERING ATTENDEES A CHANCE TO SUPPORT LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS WHILE ENJOYING YOUTH PERFORMANCES, FOOD, AND MUSIC CURATED BY HYFIN DJS. HYFIN CONTINUED ITS MAJOR FUNDRAISER GALA, DEMONSTRATING THE STATION'S GROWTH AND COMMUNITY IMPACT. THROUGHUT THE YEAR, THEY CONTINUED TO ENGAGE AUDIENCES WITH THEIR "LATEST & GREATEST LIVE" SERIES, FEATURING LOCAL AND EMERGING ARTISTS. THESE EVENTS UNDERSCORE HYFIN'S ROLE AS A CULTURAL HUB, FOSTERING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND AMPLIFYING BLACK VOICES IN MILWAUKEE'S VIBRANT ARTS AND BUSINESS SCENES.
- $231,608 spent. RADIO MILWAUKEE PRODUCES AND AIRS SHORT STORIES AND PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT HIGHLIGHT NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS DEDICATED TO ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MILWAUKEE. EACH STORY, ROUGHLY THE LENGTH OF A SONG, IS BROADCAST DAILY AS PART OF THE MUSIC MIX AND ALSO AVAILABLE IN A LONGER PODCAST FORMAT ON THE RADIOMILWAUKEE.ORG WEBSITE. LISTENERS CAN VISIT THE SITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FEATURED ORGANIZATIONS AND ACCESS LINKS TO THEIR WEBSITES FOR INVOLVEMENT, CONTRIBUTIONS, OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. IN 2024, RADIO MILWAUKEE SHOWCASED OVER 170 INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS, FOCUSING ON THEMES SUCH AS VOLUNTEERISM, ARTS AND CULTURE, NEIGHBORHOODS, YOUTH, THE ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND NARRATIVES FROM UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES.
- $89,544 spent. IN 2018, RADIO MILWAUKEE LAUNCHED AN INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO ENHANCE ITS SUPPORT FOR THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE. INITIALLY CALLED "BACKLINE AND REBRANDED AS "AMPLIFIER" IN 2021, THIS PROGRAM AIMS TO CULTIVATE THE GROWTH OF MILWAUKEE'S MUSIC LANDSCAPE AND ATTRACT EMERGING TALENT TO THE CITY. AMPLIFIER ORIGINALLY BEGAN BY PROVIDING INTENSIVE, YEAR-LONG CAREER GUIDANCE TO FOUR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS. HOWEVER, THE PROGRAM HAS SINCE TRANSITIONED INTO A COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL TO BROADEN ITS REACH AND IMPACT.WITH THE PROGRAM'S EVOLUTION, AMPLIFIER NOW INCLUDES AN ONGOING "MASTER CLASS" SERIES, CONNECTING MILWAUKEE ARTISTS, MANAGERS, SONGWRITERS, AND PRODUCERS TO FOSTER COLLABORATION AND EDUCATION. THE SERIES STRENGTHENS TIES WITHIN THE MUSIC COMMUNITY BY OFFERING SESSIONS ON ESSENTIAL TOPICS SUCH AS BUILDING BUSINESS CREDIT, PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES, SONGWRITING, MENTAL WELLNESS, NEGOTIATION SKILLS, AND LIVE PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES. THESE SESSIONS ARE RECORDED AND ARCHIVED, CONTRIBUTING TO A PERMANENT CONTENT LIBRARY SHARED ACROSS VARIOUS PLATFORMS. IN ITS HISTORY, THE PROGRAM HAS GENERATED OVER 110,000 VIEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, 14,000 PODCAST DOWNLOADS, AND ATTRACTED 400 IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS. AMPLIFIER'S MASTER CLASSES RUN MONTHLY FROM MARCH TO OCTOBER, PROVIDING ARTISTS WITH INVALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN FROM TOP INDUSTRY EXPERTS, ENHANCING BOTH THEIR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
- $62,936 spent. GRACE WEBER'S MUSIC LAB IS A FREE MONTHLY MUSIC AND ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR GREATER MILWAUKEE AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. IN THIS PROGRAM, STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES THROUGH FEATURED GUESTS FROM THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. STUDENTS ARE ALSO GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE, PERFORM, AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR PEERS. THE PROGRAM TAKES PLACE THE LAST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR IN THE RADIO MILWAUKEE PERFORMANCE SPACE. THE SESSIONS INVOLVE A PERFORMANCE AND INTERVIEW WITH THE FEATURED GUEST, AS WELL AS A QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD WITH STUDENT INQUIRIES. AFTERWARDS, THE PARTICIPATING STUDENTS MAY PERFORM IN AN OPEN MIC ATMOSPHERE WHERE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK AND OBSERVATIONS BY THE FEATURED GUEST AND RADIO MILWAUKEE'S MUSIC EDUCATION COORDINATOR ARE OFFERED. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A SAFE SPACE FOR STUDENT ARTISTS TO CREATE, BE HEARD, AND FEEL VALUED. IN 2024, 291 STUDENTS THROUGHOUT MILWAUKEE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 2006.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.