Post from Community: Bader Philanthropies reaches funding milestone of more than $426 million as it celebrates 30th anniversary | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lisa Ehlke
January 26, 2022
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Bader Philanthropies, Inc., one of southeastern Wisconsin’s top five foundations, announced today it has reached a milestone as it celebrates its 30 anniversary year which will include opportunities to honor three decades with the theme of “Spreading hope. Creating opportunities.” To date, the foundation has provided more than $426 million in a variety of issue areas that improve the quality of life of people – young and old — living in neighborhoods in Milwaukee, rural Wisconsin and abroad. Of this funding, $248,279,628 has been provided to 940 community partners in Milwaukee.
These milestones include Bader Philanthropies’ efforts to quickly help southeastern Wisconsin organizations continue to provide services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, Bader Philanthropies announced it provided more than $1 million toward local COVID-19 emergency efforts. The majority of the grants were paid to local organizations in need within days and weeks of the requests. The foundation has funded 63 local organizations for a total of almost $2.3 million dollars. In addition, Bader Philanthropies partnered with Shalem Healing to administer 1,520 COVID-19 tests at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Helen Bader Foundation (HBF) was established in 1992, three years after Helen Daniels Bader’s death. Over the next 24 years, the organization approved grants and program related investments (PRI) designed to improve the quality of life of the diverse communities in which it works. In 2015, the HBF changed its name to Bader Philanthropies, Inc. to reflect the philanthropic commitment from Isabel and Alfred Bader that would allow the organization to continue funding charitable projects in perpetuity.
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In 2018, the Foundation put down roots in one of the many communities it supports by moving from its Historic Third Ward office into a renovated, state-of-the-art global headquarters in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood. It is there that Bader Philanthropies continues the work begun by HBF and continues to fund innovative projects and programs, convene partners, and share knowledge to affect emerging issues in key areas including Alzheimer’s and healthy aging, the arts, employment, Jewish education, neighborhood engagement, social equality, urban education, and youth development. In addition to the organization’s funding, from 2004 – 2020 the foundation provided essential convening space for almost 1,500 events and 41,837 attendees.
In conjunction with Bader Philanthropies’ 30th anniversary, the documentary, “Helen Daniels Bader: A Life Worth Emulating” was released this month. It is a collection of interviews with family, board members and nonprofit and community leaders who share stories of Helen Daniels Bader’s life and legacy.
Helen Daniels Bader was an early advocate for those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, and ahead of her time when it came to envisioning and promoting effective strategies related to care. At 23 years, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute (WAI) is one of Bader Philanthropies’ longest-standing community partners touching the lives of people living in Milwaukee, rural Wisconsin and around the world.
WAI was created in 1998 to help people living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia, their caregivers, and health professionals who provide support. Today, Alzheimer’s disease affects 110,000 Wisconsin individuals and the number is projected to increase to 130,000 by 2025.  WAI is a hub for research and resources such as the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP), which is one of the world’s largest and longest-running studies of individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease; the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), which facilitates knowledge sharing among academics and people living in rural and urban Wisconsin; and the Regional Milwaukee office, which focuses on making culturally-tailored and evidence-based health care available, particularly to African-Americans living in the inner city. WAI’s impact extends beyond the state of Wisconsin with the replication of the Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention in Israel.
Bader Philanthropies’ commitment to the theme “Spreading hope. Creating opportunities.” can be seen in the organization’s program related investments (PRI). Since 1995, Bader Philanthropies has approved 43 loans, loan guarantees, equity investments and other credit enhancements to southeastern Wisconsin organizations totaling more than $18,458,577.
PRIs are impact investments made by foundations to support charitable activities that involve the potential return of capital within an established time frame. Unlike grants, PRIs produce financial returns for foundations in the form of principal plus interest, gains realized on investments, etc., which can then be recycled for other charitable purposes. For the recipient, the primary benefit of this loan is access to capital at lower rates than may otherwise not be available.
“As we reflect on our thirtieth anniversary, it is humbling and heartwarming to hear about and see the spirit of connection, compassion and commitment in the work of our community partners day in and day out,” said Daniel J. Bader, president and CEO of Bader Philanthropies. “They are spreading hope and creating concrete opportunities in Harambee, rural Wisconsin and around the world.”
Since its establishment in 1992, the foundation has awarded a total of 9,113 grants totaling $404.9 million, and approved 55 PRIs totaling $21.4 million since 2000.
About Bader Philanthropies, Inc.
Milwaukee-based Bader Philanthropies, Inc. is a philanthropic leader in improving the quality of life of the diverse global communities in which it works. The organization funds innovative projects and programs, convenes partners, and shares knowledge to affect emerging issues in key areas. Since its founding in 1992 as the Helen Bader Foundation, the organization has committed more than $426 million in grants and program related investments, such as loans, loan guarantees, equity investments and other credit enhancements that advance its charitable mission. For more information on Bader Philanthropies, visit bader.org.