Executive Director Peer Wellness Cohort: Supporting Nonprofit Leaders in Milwaukee
Applications closing February 6th: Mental Health America of Wisconsin is offering an “Executive Director Peer Wellness Cohort: Supporting Nonprofit Leaders in Milwaukee” beginning on February 26th:
“Invest in your wellness. Strengthen your leadership. Sustain your mission.
Mental Health America of WI is hosting an Executive Director Peer Wellness cohort, a 10-month trauma-informed, equity-focused wellness program for Nonprofit Executive Directors.
Milwaukee nonprofit Executive Directors (EDs) carry extraordinary responsibility. They lead organizations addressing societal issues, and many have limited resources and little peer support. Many EDs work in isolation, under chronic stress, and without spaces to process the emotional toll of leadership. Through deep community engagement, MHA leadership has heard directly from EDs about burnout, isolation, and the need for culturally responsive support.
Through peer learning, coaching, and the Wellness Toolkit, EDs will implement trauma-informed, culturally affirming wellness practices that support frontline staff and strengthen community outcomes.
About the Cohort
The Executive Director Wellness Cohort is a peer wellness program designed to reduce burnout, increase job satisfaction, and strengthen nonprofit leadership capacity and sustainability across Greater Milwaukee.
Each year, 15-20 nonprofit Executive Directors will participate in monthly, trauma-informed sessions that create space for:
- Peer connection and shared learning
- Wellness skill-building
- Reflection, healing, and peer support
- Opportunities for individual coaching
- Access to local and national wellness resources via a virtual toolbox
Who Should Apply
This program is ideal for mission-driven nonprofit executive directors who:
- Lead grassroots, small or mid-sized organizations
- Serve communities impacted by poverty, trauma, and health disparities
- Are first-time or long-tenured leaders navigating complex demands
- Are committed to equity, healing, and justice-centered leadership
- BIPOC-led organizations will be prioritized
This initiative:
- Creates space to process vocational trauma, workplace inequities, and moral injury
- Disrupts isolation that disproportionately impacts BIPOC leaders
- Affirms and values lived experience and leadership wisdom
- Advances racial equity by investing in leadership wellness
Anticipated Outcomes
Participants can expect:
- Reporting stronger peer relationships
- Utilization of new coping tools for stress and emotional regulation
- Adopting workplace wellness strategies to support staff well-being
- Reporting reduced burnout and increased job satisfaction
- Organizations led by participants will be better equipped to foster mentally healthy, stigma-free workplace cultures, benefiting both staff and the communities they serve.
Program Details
4th Thursday of each month
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
2026 Session Dates
- February 26, 2026
- March 26, 2026
- April 23, 2026
- May 28, 2026
- June 25, 2026
- July 23, 2026
- August 27, 2026
- September 24, 2026
- October 22, 2026
Note: To ensure a successful and meaningful cohort experience, all participants are expected to actively engage in cohort activities. This includes a commitment to attend the majority of the monthly meetings.
Space is limited, and many Executive Directors have already expressed strong interest. Please apply only if your intentions are serious, and you can commit to active participation over the full 10-month period.
📍 Location
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
2153 N Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Suite 4000
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Application Timeline
- Applications Open: January 16, 2026
- Applications Close: February 6, 2026
- Cohort Selection: Determination letters will go out on February 13, 2026
- Cohort Launch: February 26, 2026
Note: Once the cohort is chosen, there will be a $75 non-refundable reservation fee to reserve your spot.
This opportunity is made possible thanks to the support of our generous funders: the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Nonprofit Management Fund“