Foundation explores Wisconsin lighthouses via documentary

By Doug Jackson

President, Great Lakes Foundation

The Great Lakes Foundation received a grant request from PBS Wisconsin to help fund the development of a documentary program entitled Wisconsin Lighthouses. We granted this request in early 2024.

PBS Wisconsin received a total of $157,000 in gifts supporting this project. Our Foundation gift helped this project succeed.

The grant helped create a documentary about Wisconsin lighthouses. The documentary premiered on Dec. 2, 2024, on PBS Wisconsin and Milwaukee PBS’ WMVS-TV. 

The hour-long documentary takes viewers on a tour of Wisconsin’s most beloved and historically significant lighthouses, from the towering Cana Island Lighthouse on Lake Michigan to the remote outposts of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, and many other significant landmark beacons along Wisconsin’s shorelines. 

The film is available at pbswiscondin.org and on the free PBS app on all streaming devices. You can also view the documentary on this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa5DRPGgrg0

The program was received well by audiences, as shown in these key metrics:

• The program had a 97% overall quality rating from viewers surveyed.

• 97% said they learned something new about Wisconsin lighthouses.

• 98% said the program was extremely or very effective in telling the history

of the featured lighthouses.

This grant by the Great Lakes Foundation  furthered the goals and purposes of the foundation.

Please consider making a donation to the Foundation to continue with other quality initiatives. Just click this link: https://www.glcclub.com/donation/donate-great-lakes-foundation