An independent Milwaukee music venue’s plan to make its building more accessible for people with disabilities got a boost this week with an unexpected donation from musician Jack White.
Cactus Club, located in the city’s Bay View neighborhood, has been around since 1958. The building in is nearly 140 years old.
Cactus Club owner Kelsey Kaufmann purchased the venue in 2020. And while the building’s age means it had a “legacy” exception to the Americans with Disabilities Act according to the club, one of Kaufmann’s first goals after she bought the space was to make it more accessible for everyone.
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That’s where Cactus+, the arts education and community outreach nonprofit arm of the venue, comes in. The first phase of the Cactus+ Accessibility Initiative is for the construction of a 26-foot accessibility ramp to the front door of the property, which is now at the top of four steps.
“We should be doing as much as we can to make everywhere as accessible as possible,” said Skott Moriarti, the treasurer of Cactus+. “Everybody should be able to enjoy live music. Everybody should be able to get access to the arts programming that we do.”
Kaufmann said the club was notified by the city shortly before construction was set to start in May that a curb bump out would be required as part of the project.
That added over $20,000 to the total project cost.
“So that’s where the surprise came,” Kaufmann said.
Sunday, Cactus+ announced a fundraising campaign to help cover the extra cost. Just a day later, the venue announced it hit its $24,000 goal.
In fact, it blew by it, raising over $33,000. And about 60 percent of that total came from a single unsolicited donation from White, co-founder of the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee The White Stripes.
White chipped in $20,000.
“A special thank you to Jack White for the grand slam contribution,” organizers posted on social media.
Kaufmann said White’s donation was a total surprise, but she added that the entire community stepped up.
“It’s exciting that hundreds, if not thousands of people have supported this project throughout it,” Kaufmann said.
Moriarti said the most common gifts for the fundraiser were $25 and $50.
“This is really a community effort,” Moriarti said.
But Moriarti called White’s donation a “shock.”
“It was completely unsolicited that he just came in and, boom, here you go,” he said.
Cactus+ started hosting fundraising concerts for the accessibility ramp last year. In October, White played a special fundraiser concert to raise money for the initiative.
The White Stripes, which White co-founded, played Cactus Club in 1999. In an email, White’s publicist responded to a request for comment with “Unfortunately, Jack’s not doing any interviews these days.”
A Detroit native who now lives in Nashville, White has been known in the past for supporting arts venues in his hometown, including saving the Detroit Masonic Temple and its theater from foreclosure.
In 2024, accessibility initiative received a special projects grant from the Ruth Foundation for the Arts. Milwaukee artist Kate Klingbeil is also creating a mosaic that will go on the facade of the ramp.
The concrete ramp was completed this week. Kaufmann said the railings for the ramp will go up in a few weeks. Klingbeil’s mosaic will be installed on the ramp soon, and a celebration of the completed ramp will be held on Aug. 20.
“I’m super proud of and inspired by the group of people that have committed to making this happen and bringing this whole project to life,” Kaufmann said. “It wouldn’t be possible without the participation and collaboration of countless individuals. And it’s an honor to be a part of such a cool team.”
Kaufmann said the next phase of the accessibility initiative will be a “more substantive building addition” so the stage and green room are more accessible. She said the goal is to include an addition at the bar where people who are in wheelchairs can order.
Cactus Club is more than just a live music venue. The space also holds fundraisers, film screenings and classes. Cactus+ hosted 68 educational programs, 22 film screenings and 12 artist markets last year.
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