About Kohler Foundation
Kohler Foundation concentrates its giving on transferring and placing art collections and site-specific cultural assets into museums, libraries, and heritage organizations, while also supporting a major affiliated environmental trust. Grants are often structured as art donations (both contemporary and historic/folk collections) and targeted capital or preservation gifts, with a consistent emphasis on supporting local Wisconsin arts institutions alongside national archival and museum partners.
Focus Areas
Donation and placement of private art collections to regional and national museumsSupport for folk, outsider, and site-specific cultural heritage (e.g., Dickeyville Grotto, Mount Morris fountain)Gifts to university archives and special collections (civil rights archives, photographic collections)Support for local Wisconsin arts institutions and art centers (John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Racine Art Museum)Scholarships and vocational/educational support for Wisconsin studentsCapital and endowment-style funding routed to affiliated environmental clean-water trust
Who They Fund
About Kohler Foundation
Kohler Foundation Inc. is defined by the transfer and placement of art collections into museums, libraries, arts centers, and heritage organizations. Its recent grants show repeated work with named collections and site-specific cultural assets, from the Dickeyville Grotto to the Roland Freeman Collection and the Prophet Isaiah's Second Coming House. The foundation also funds scholarships and fellowships in Wisconsin, including support routed through colleges and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Another major line of activity is the Kohler Trust for Clean Water, which received a large stock gift in 2024. These grants connect preservation, collection-building, and education across a regional footprint, with Wisconsin institutions appearing often and several out-of-state cultural repositories also receiving art donations. The pattern is not limited to one type of recipient: the foundation gives to arts institutions, public museums, historical societies, universities, and students. Across the recent list, the work centers on preserving specific works and placing them in permanent custodial settings, while also supporting educational pathways tied to art history, leadership, and artistic merit.
What Kohler Foundation Funds
A large share of Kohler Foundation Inc.'s work is tied to art preservation and collection placement. They gave $7,625,617 to Friends of Dickeyville Grotto Inc for the Dickeyville Grotto, and $1,066,191 to Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Inc for Prophet Isaiah's Second Coming House. They also supported the Mount Morris Fountain with a $110,300 gift to the Village of Mount Morris. On the collection side, the foundation placed the Danny Lyon Civil Rights Archive at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library with a $425,771 donation. In the museum space, it gave $211,372 to Racine Art Museum for Bob Trotman and $202,440 to the Art Institute of Chicago for the Barbara Rossi Collection. Scholarships are another distinct thread: Lakeshore Technical College received $250,000 for scholarships, and the University of Wisconsin - Madison received $190,677 as an individual scholarship payment.
How Kohler Foundation Gives
Typical grant size sits at a $3,000 p25, $6,250 median, and $20,400 p75, but the recent list also includes much larger, asset-like gifts. The foundation's giving is recurring rather than one-off: Wisconsin colleges, museums, and arts institutions appear across multiple years, and John Michael Kohler Arts Center shows up repeatedly in the recent grants. Kohler Foundation Inc. funds both institutional programs and individuals, and it uses multiple channels, including scholarships paid directly to educational institutions and art donations or gifts of stock. It also runs competitive general grants, with up to $10,000 and unsolicited applications accepted for that program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.7M
Total Assets
$486.3M
Total Revenue
$70.5M
Total Expenses
$5.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $3K and $20K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$20K
Geographic Reach
Regional40 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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