Bader

What Bader does

Bader Philanthropies, Inc. is a private foundation established in 1992 (originally as the Helen Bader Foundation) with an initial $100 million endowment. In 2015, the organization restructured into its current form, encompassing the Helen Daniels Bader Fund and the Isabel & Alfred Bader Fund. Headquartered at a renovated 1927 building in Milwaukee's Harambee neighborhood (a roughly $18 million build-out completed in 2018), the foundation is family-governed with Dan Bader serving as President/CEO. Bader Philanthropies operates across four funding areas — Healthy Aging, Revitalizing Milwaukee, International (Czechia/Slovakia/Ukraine, Israel), and Founders Interests (Jewish education) — and serves communities in Milwaukee, rural Wisconsin, Central Europe, Israel, and Canada.

The foundation's core offerings span grantmaking, Program Related Investments (PRIs), the Bader Leadership Institute (formed 2023), convening programs, and community engagement events. Since 1992, it has committed more than $550 million across 3,172 grants and PRIs, including 61 PRIs totaling over $27.2 million since 1995. Distribution is managed via the SmartSimple online portal with twice-yearly board cycles (Spring and Fall). Supporting products include the Bader Leadership Institute's cohort-based leadership development, neighborhood events (Bader BBQ, Juneteenth, Chat with Bader), and structured convenings on topics including dementia care and Black history.

Bader's economic model is that of an endowment-funded private foundation rather than a commercial enterprise. Annual philanthropic giving exceeds $30 million, funded by the founders' endowment corpus and consistent with IRS private foundation payout requirements. The foundation does not sell products or services; instead, it distributes grants and below-market loans/equity investments (PRIs) to nonprofits. Revenue recognition is not applicable in the traditional sense, and the organization is governed by a board comprising family members (Dan Bader, David Bader, Linda Bader, Michelle Berrong Bader, Frances Klitsner Wolff) and independent directors including Ben Callif (VP Strategy & Culture), Jere McGaffey (Board Chairman/Treasurer), and Adina Shapiro (Board Director, Israel strategy).

Name

Bader

Legal name

Bader Philanthropies, Inc.

Website

https://bader.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bader Philanthropies is a family-controlled private foundation established in 1992 that distributes over $30 million annually in grants and program-related investments to nonprofits across Milwaukee, rural Wisconsin, Central Europe, Israel, and Canada. Its funding areas include healthy aging, community revitalization, international communities, and Jewish education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health Program Grants Management & Administration (HLAJALAC), Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD)

Keywords

• Community grantmaking
• Program related investments
• Philanthropy foundation
• Alzheimer's healthy aging
• Community revitalization

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Endowment and Foundation Assets: Bader Philanthropies operates as a private foundation funded by its founders' endowment and assets. The foundation distributes grants and program-related investments from its endowment corpus, with annual giving exceeding $30 million.
2. Program Related Investments: Low-interest loans, loan guarantees, credit enhancements, and equity investments to catalyze community growth. Since 1995, PRIs total more than $25 million across 61 investments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bader Philanthropies distributes grants and Program Related Investments (PRIs) to nonprofit organizations across four funding areas: Healthy Aging, Revitalizing Milwaukee, International, and Founders Interests. Operations also include the Bader Leadership Institute for cohort-based leadership development, community engagement events, cross-sector convenings, and a SmartSimple-based online grant application portal.

Product overview

Bader Philanthropies is a philanthropic foundation offering a portfolio of grantmaking and community programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include grantmaking across four funding areas (Healthy Aging, Revitalizing Milwaukee, International, and Founders Interests), Program Related Investments (PRIs) for community financing, the Bader Leadership Institute for leadership development, community engagement events (Bader BBQ, Juneteenth, Chat with Bader), convening programs, and a SmartSimple-based online grant application portal. These services work together to support nonprofits and communities in Milwaukee, rural Wisconsin, Central Europe, Israel, and Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bader Leadership Institute: Leadership development program formed in 2023 to address Milwaukee's wicked problems through intensive cohort-based experience for regional leaders.

Products and services

• Grantmaking Programs Core grantmaking services across four funding areas (Healthy Aging, Revitalizing Milwaukee, International, and Founders Interests), supporting nonprofit organizations with grants for Alzheimer's care, addiction recovery, community development, arts, education, youth development, international aid, and Jewish education.
• Program Related Investments (PRIs) Low-interest loans, loan guarantees, credit enhancements, and equity investments to catalyze community growth for nonprofits and mission-aligned enterprises. Since 1995, more than $25 million has been committed through 61 PRIs.
• Bader Leadership Institute (BLI) Cohort-based leadership development program forming a growing network of Milwaukee-based Bader Fellows working to address urban challenges through philanthropy and innovation.
• SmartSimple Grant Portal Online portal for nonprofit organizations to register profiles and submit preliminary grant applications for consideration by Bader Philanthropies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 79,012 guests served by Interchange Food Pantry in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and minor.

• Sam's Place Jazz CafenotableGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Bader Philanthropies invested in Sam's Place to help expand its facilities and better serve the Harambee neighborhood. The jazz café served as a community gathering space until its closure in February 2026. Bader's support was described as 'more than an investment—it was a statement of their belief in me and this community.'
• Shalem Healing, Inc.notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerShalem Healing received a Program Related Investment to expand its facilities from Riverwest to Harambee, providing integrated medical and holistic care at reduced rates or on a sliding scale based on income to respond to expressed community needs.
• The Comfort HousenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram Related Investment to help retire acquisition debt for the property, allowing the organization to continue providing free lodging and kosher meals to out-of-town families of patients at Rogers Behavioral Health Hospital.
• Historic King Drive Business Improvement DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for equitable development along the King Drive corridor. Between 1992 and 2015, invested about $350 million; from 2015 to 2025, invested another $400 million in the area.
• ThriveOn King CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner$125 million redevelopment led by Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Royal Capital, and Medical College of Wisconsin. Bader's headquarters investment and community engagement informed the collaborative development approach.
• Seeds of HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBader Philanthropies provided funding for a large-scale 40-foot x 70-foot mural at Tenor Journal Square High School in partnership with community artist Tia Richardson and Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
• Greater Milwaukee FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder on multiple initiatives including ThriveOn King ($41 million invested since 2020), the community mural project, and various community development programs along King Drive.
• Lilly Family School of PhilanthropynotableOthersNamed Bader Philanthropies to its 'Top 30 PRI Providers' list in 2012, recognizing the foundation's support through program related investments for affordable housing.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greater Milwaukee Foundation: Milwaukee-based community foundation with overlapping grantmaking and PRI activity. Co-funds Bader initiatives including ThriveOn King ($41M since 2020) and serves as a direct competitor and partner for local nonprofit funding.
• Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation: Milwaukee-based private foundation with a similar asset scale and commitment to Milwaukee civic life. Overlaps with Bader on education, community development, and arts funding in the same metro.
• Zilber Family Foundation: Milwaukee-based family foundation focused on neighborhood revitalization, housing, and youth. Direct comparable in scale, mission, and geographic emphasis on the Milwaukee metro.
• McKnight Foundation: Midwest-based private foundation of similar vintage (1948) operating grants and program-related investments in the Upper Midwest. Comparable scale and mixed regional/national grantmaking strategy.
• Joyce Foundation: Midwest-focused private foundation with comparable annual payout and overlapping interest in education, economic vitality, and culture. Operates in similar geography and program mix.

Broad incumbents

• Kresge Foundation: Large national private foundation with significant American Cities and Detroit-focused grantmaking plus PRIs. Larger endowment and broader scope but overlapping toolset of grants, PRIs, and place-based investments.
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Large national family foundation supporting arts, environment, health, and child wellbeing. Overlapping portfolio diversity and family governance model, though at a meaningfully larger scale.
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: Major national foundation with deep focus on arts, education, and humanities, areas that overlap with Bader's Arts, Urban Education, and Jewish Education portfolios. Operates at significantly larger scale.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large national health-focused foundation. Directly comparable to Bader's Alzheimer's & Healthy Aging program and overlapping interest in aging populations and caregiver support.

Others

• Alzheimer's Association: National nonprofit funder and advocate in Alzheimer's care, research, and policy. Serves as both a Bader grantee ecosystem partner and a parallel investor in the same Healthy Aging cause area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BaderPhilanthropies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baderphilanthropies
• Instagraminstagram.com/baderphilanthropies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bader