Charities Rebound in Milwaukee

Well, taxes or no, the picture in 2005 was pretty good.

Local charities appear to have rebounded from the slump that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and subsequent economic downturn, reporting a $60 million surge in giving - the largest one-year increase ever measured by an annual analysis of area philanthropy.

The 64 bellwether organizations in the Milwaukee area raised $265.5 million in 2005, according to the Report Card on Charitable Giving prepared by the Public Policy Forum. Contributions had dropped from $223.2 million in 2001 to $205 million in 2004, the report states.

That little event in NYC on 9/11 really had its echoes.