The Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management (HBI) develops the next generation of nonprofit leaders through educational programs and serves as a resource to the nonprofit community through its applied research projects and professional development activities.

HBI was established in 2001 and was the first nonprofit academic center in Wisconsin. Its mission is three-fold: education, research, and service to the profession.

HBI's educational programs balance both theory and practice, providing the knowledge and skills needed for effective nonprofit management and leadership and instilling in participants a critical focus on ethics, responsibility and standards of excellence in the nonprofit field. Students can earn a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management and Leadership or a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. The certificate program is open to current UWM graduate students wishing to enhance their degree program with an additional credential or working professionals with a bachelor's degree who want to complete a stand-alone certificate program.

HBI's research programs and speaker series generate and disseminate knowledge on nonprofit management and the nonprofit field. The Institute also houses online information resources, provides technology assistance, and hosts a discussion forum series for the nonprofit sector.