Courage+

Overview

Courage+, known as Courage MKE prior to a 2025 rebrand, is a Milwaukee-based group that provides housing, education, and other support services to LGBT youth across Wisconsin. Its programs include a licensed group home, a transitional-living program for young adults, and family and community education efforts. The organization relied almost entirely on private contributions and reported more than $1.1 million in revenue in 2024. In 2021, former Courage House employees alleged the organization had fostered an unsafe environment for residents. Courage+ said an independent investigation did not substantiate many of the claims and that it made leadership and policy changes in response. ^{1  4  5  6  7}

Background

Courage+ traces its origins to 2014, when co-founders Brad and Nick Schlaikowski began fostering children and decided to open an LGBT-focused out-of-home care program in Milwaukee. They founded Courage Initiative Ltd. in December 2015, after an inaugural fundraising event that November benefiting Pathfinders, an existing Milwaukee youth homelessness organization. The organization, then known as Courage MKE, opened Courage House in 2019, Wisconsin’s first group home for LGBT youth in out-of-home care.  ^{1  4  2}

In 2020, Courage MKE received national accreditation from the Joint Commission and joined a technical-assistance mentorship program run by the Ali Forney Center, a New York-based organization serving homeless LGBT youth. The organization received Qualified Residential Treatment Program certification from the state of Wisconsin in 2021. In 2023, Courage MKE purchased a Milwaukee apartment building that became C2 Apartments, which opened in April 2024. The organization rebranded as Courage+ in 2025, dropping “MKE” from its public name. As of July 2026, the organization’s legal name is in transition, with some official records listing it simply as “Courage.” ^{1  4  2}

Programs

Courage+ operated several programs for LGBT youth in Wisconsin. Courage House, which opened in 2019, was Wisconsin’s first licensed group home for LGBT youth in out-of-home care, serving residents between the ages of 12 and 17. C2 Apartments, launched in April 2024, provided transitional and independent-living support for young adults aged 18 to 24 who had aged out of the foster care system. The +YOU program used an eight-session group model to train parents, guardians, and other family members to support LGBT youth. In November 2025, Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment awarded Courage+ a grant to expand +YOU into five rural areas of the state using a train-the-trainer model intended to sustain the program without ongoing direct involvement from Courage+ staff. The organization also administered scholarships in partnership with the Cream City Foundation, whose former president and CEO was convicted in 2021 of distributing child pornography, and distributed quarterly grants of $350 to school Gender and Sexuality Alliance clubs. ^{5  8  9}

Courage+ operated Bravespace, a digital directory that connected LGBT youth to vetted local resources by ZIP code. In 2026, Courage+ opened Courage+ Salon, a trauma-informed hair and beauty service it described as a social enterprise. ^{10  11}

Leadership

As of July 2026, Brad Schlaikowski, a co-founder of the organization, was working as the executive director of Courage+. Ashley Krueger-Rook, a private wealth advisor at U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, was the board president. Brandon Herr, the director of LifeStreams at Saint John’s On The Lake, was the vice president, and Cristin Bock was the board secretary. The board also included Steve Davis, Katherine Quinn, Laura Baacke, Liam Conrad, Amanda Kerr, Gina Burns, Tina Collins, and Broderick Pearson. ^{1  12}

Board member Katherine Quinn, an associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, was the principal investigator on a grant that the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment awarded Courage+ in November 2025 to expand its +YOU family-support program into rural Wisconsin. ^{8  1}

Board member Gina Burns worked as director of executive operations at Bader Rutter, the marketing agency that led Courage+’s 2024 to 2025 rebranding from Courage MKE to Courage+, work the agency said it provided pro bono. ^{4  1}

Financials

In 2024, Courage+ reported total revenue of $1,163,046, derived nearly all from contributions rather than program service revenue, investment income, or government grants. Contributions grew steadily from $547,704 in 2020, reflecting the organization’s expansion beyond Milwaukee. Total expenses for 2024 were $1,237,058, of which $902,583, or about 73 percent, went to program services. The year ended with a net loss of $74,012 and net assets of $430,011, down from $504,023 the prior year. Total assets were $479,104 against liabilities of $49,093. From 2020 through 2024, contributions accounted for 100 percent of the organization’s public support. ^{13  14}

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation awarded the organization $89,525 in general operating support in 2024. The LGBT Center of Southeastern Wisconsin awarded $47,230 the same year, and the American Endowment Foundation, a donor-advised-fund sponsor, granted $23,000. ^{15  16  17}

In November 2025, Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, a fund affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin, awarded Courage+ its largest grant, totaling $249,740 over 24 months, to expand its +YOU family-support program into five rural areas of Wisconsin. The grant’s principal investigator, Katherine Quinn, also sat on Courage+’s board of directors. ⁸