Cities Forward
Case study:
One MKE (milwaukee)
Cities Forward has partnered with cities nationwide, including: Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, and emerging accelerator cities.
Milwaukee shows how trust-based, service-oriented outreach drives civic engagement.
2025 impact highlights
Coalition grew from 40 organizations to over 140 organizational partnerships, including 43 outreach-based partners, to drive stronger collaboration and shared impact
Participated in more than 170 community events, including 28 original programs hosted by One MKE with support from coalition partners, and recorded 7,495 in-person interactions
Supported tangible resident-led projects like a free-food community fridge in a newly created food desert, sourced and stocked by coalition partners on an ongoing basis
Grew Instagram by 206% to over 2,000+ engaged online followers and newsletter subscribers by 563% to over 3,279 new email contacts, who regularly receive information related to civic education, community events, and coalition partner resources
Sent more than 93,000 text messages to deepen engagement with residents
In the 2024 US presidential election, Milwaukee’s turnout among registered voters increased to 85% from 78.5% in 2020. The number of votes cast grew by 560 votes, despite the total population falling by about 15,800 between 2020 and 2023. These results are in stark contrast to other similar-sized metros, which continued to see decreases in turnout.
The lesson is clear. When cities meet residents where they are, through relationships, consistency, and visible partnership, they can turn trust into action.
