Largest Charities in Wisconsin: Top 10 Organizations to Donate & Volunteer (2026)

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee's primary food bank, providing nutritious food to more than 50,000 people every month through a network of pantries, soup kitchens, and shelter programs across Wisconsin's most populous county. Uniquely among Wisconsin food banks, Hunger Task Force operates a 280-acre farm in Franklin that produces fresh produce for the community — making it one of only a handful of food banks in the country that grows its own food at scale. When federal funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program was eliminated in 2025, King chose to honor Hunger Task Force's commitments to Wisconsin farmers by funding those purchases internally rather than walking away from the relationships.

The spring 2025 TEFAP cancellations hit Hunger Task Force with five truckloads of food — 300,000+ pounds, $615,000 — gone without formal notice. CEO Matt King tracked the federal situation carefully for months before the cancellations came. Despite the losses, he committed to continuing local farmer partnerships. Volunteers sort and pack food at the Milwaukee facility throughout the week; the farm also takes seasonal volunteers.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin covers a large swath of eastern Wisconsin through approximately 370 food pantries, shelters, and meal programs. They delivered more than 38 million pounds of food from July 2023 to June 2024. Director of advocacy Matt Stienstra delivered the starkest statement about the current moment in WPR reporting: "We're in the middle of the greatest spike in childhood hunger since the Great Recession." Their Map the Meal Gap data showed no county in their footprint saw a decrease in food insecurity — every single county experienced an increase. Milwaukee County moved from 1-in-8 to 1-in-7 overall food insecure; 1 in 4 Black residents, 1 in 4 Hispanic residents face hunger in the county.

Stienstra also noted the loss of Wisconsin's farmer relationships: "Almost 12 of the farmers have lost that ability" to sell to food banks through the cancelled federal program. "We formed tremendous partnerships over the past few years where we're able to source food from farmers." The federal cancellation of $17 million in Wisconsin farmer-to-food-bank funding ended those contracts mid-season in some cases.

Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin covers a 16-county service area in southwestern Wisconsin from its Madison headquarters. After the federal government shutdown ended in November 2025, Gov. Tony Evers toured the Second Harvest facility in Madison alongside stops in Oshkosh — emphasizing that even with SNAP restored, food insecurity remained. "We have to make sure that the federal government is going to be a partner in all of this," Evers said. The United Way analysis Evers cited during the visit illustrated the structural gap: a family of four with two kids in childcare in Wisconsin needs $126,876 annually to meet basic expenses — far above what qualifies for SNAP, yet far below what many working families actually earn. Wisconsin is one of a handful of states without dedicated state budget funding for food banks; Feeding Wisconsin is requesting $30M+ in the 2025-27 budget.

Wisconsin Humane Society was founded in Milwaukee in 1879, making it one of the oldest humane organizations in the Midwest. Today it operates across multiple Wisconsin cities with adoption, spay/neuter, cruelty investigation, wildlife rehabilitation, and community support programs. Milwaukee's significant economic inequality — which the food insecurity data makes concrete — directly affects animal welfare: animal surrender rates track closely with economic distress. WHS's pet food pantry and temporary foster programs help residents keep their animals through financial crisis. The organization's wildlife rehabilitation program is one of the most active in the Great Lakes region. Volunteer roles include animal care, fostering, wildlife transport, and adoption event support.

Habitat for Humanity of Metro Milwaukee builds affordable homes and critical home repairs in the Milwaukee metro — one of the most racially segregated cities in America, where housing inequity maps almost exactly onto the food insecurity disparities that Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin documented. Milwaukee's north side, where 1 in 3 Black residents faces food insecurity, also faces the highest concentration of housing deterioration, abandoned properties, and limited homeownership pathways. Habitat's work in these neighborhoods is particularly meaningful because the alternative — continued rental of deteriorating housing — is often more expensive and less stable than homeownership for the same families. Wisconsin has Habitat affiliates in Madison, Green Bay, Racine, Kenosha, and many smaller communities. ReStore accepts building materials throughout the metro.

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is Wisconsin's largest community foundation by assets, managing charitable funds, scholarships, and grants across the Milwaukee metro and statewide. GMF has been active in equity-focused grantmaking — Milwaukee's stark racial disparities in food insecurity, homeownership, and income require intentional investment rather than neutral grantmaking to move the needle. GMF's racial equity work includes investments in Black-led organizations and community wealth building in Milwaukee's north side. The Madison Community Foundation and Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region serve central and northeastern Wisconsin respectively.

United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County manages workplace giving for major Milwaukee employers — Harley-Davidson, Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls, Kohl's, Advocate Aurora Health — and distributes grants to nonprofits across the Milwaukee and Waukesha metro. They operate 2-1-1 Wisconsin, the statewide helpline connecting residents to food, housing, utility, and emergency resources. During the 2025 federal food disruptions, 2-1-1 Wisconsin call volumes increased as Milwaukeeans sought food pantry locations. Wisconsin has multiple United Way chapters — United Way of Dane County (Madison), United Way of Greater Green Bay, United Way of Racine County, and others. The Milwaukee chapter is the largest by campaign volume.

The Red Cross Wisconsin Region responds to home fires, flooding, tornadoes, and winter storms across the state. Wisconsin's disaster profile includes spring flooding along the Mississippi River and its Wisconsin tributaries, periodic tornado events in southern Wisconsin, and severe ice storms and blizzards that can isolate rural communities. Blood collection serves Aurora Health Care, Advocate BroMenn, SSM Health, and other Wisconsin hospital systems. If you need disaster assistance in Wisconsin, call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

The Salvation Army operates across Wisconsin with emergency food, rent and utility assistance, overnight shelter, and after-school programs. Milwaukee's significant homeless population — concentrated in several areas of the city — requires consistent Salvation Army operations year-round. During the November 2025 federal disruptions, Salvation Army corps statewide activated emergency food distribution. Red Kettle campaign runs November through Christmas at Milwaukee area retailers.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee matches children with adult mentors in one of America's most economically segregated cities. Milwaukee's racial economic gap is stark: the food insecurity data shows 1 in 4 Black children face hunger in Milwaukee County, while the rate for White residents is 1 in 10. BBBS research shows mentored youth are more likely to graduate high school and stay out of the justice system — outcomes that matter significantly in a city where both are constrained by structural inequality. Wisconsin has BBBS chapters in Madison, Green Bay, Racine, and Wausau for other regions.