The Boerke Family Foundation makes a small number of relatively large, targeted gifts focused on family- and child-centered health and social services. Recent grants indicate a preference for memorial-designated funds supporting a residential/social service program (Aspen House) and unrestricted support for pediatric health care. Their giving appears programmatic and donor-directed rather than broadly diversified across many nonprofits.
A $100,000 commitment to LSS Foundation for the benefit of Aspen House stands out in The Boerke Family Foundation’s recent giving. That gift, paired with a $40,000 unrestricted grant to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Foundation, shows a pattern of concentrated support for family- and child-centered services rather than broad, high-volume philanthropy. The foundation’s recent record also includes memorial-designated and campaign-related support, such as gifts tied to the Christopher David Boerke Fund and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s “For the Love One Another” campaign. Smaller grants appear alongside these larger awards, including support for early learning, youth programs, and medical and social service organizations, suggesting a portfolio built around a limited set of closely held priorities. Across the list, the foundation favors established local institutions and uses both restricted and unrestricted grants depending on the recipient and purpose. The mix of health care, social services, and faith-affiliated community care points to a donor-led approach with a strong emphasis on specific organizations and designated funds.
In child and family services, the foundation gave $5,000 to St Marcus Lutheran Church for the Early Learning Center at St Marcus School, and $5,000 to City Forward Collective for general support. In health care, they supported Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Foundation with $40,000 in general and unrestricted funding, and also gave $5,000 to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Inc for general and unrestricted support in an earlier year. Medical research and specialty care appear as well: The Medical College of Wisconsin received $1,000 for the We Care Fund for Medical Innovation and Research, $1,000 for the Koss Hearing and Balance Center, and $1,000 for an Alzheimer’s Research Program. Community-based youth and animal welfare work also appears through a $5,000 grant to Wisconsin Humane Society for youth programs and animal care work.
Typical grant size is $1,000 at the 25th percentile, $2,000 at the median, and $5,000 at the 75th percentile, though the foundation also makes occasional much larger gifts. The recent record shows repeat support for several recipients across multiple years, including City Forward Collective, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Humane Society, and The Medical College of Wisconsin. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The Boerke Family Foundation appears to operate as a private family foundation, with grants directed to organizations and named funds rather than individuals or program-related investments. Several awards are unrestricted, while others are tied to specific campaigns, memorial funds, or designated program uses.
$119K
$5.1M
$947K
$166K
Most grants fall between $1K and $5K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$5K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in WI.
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Highly concentrated: very few (two) but sizable gifts in the reporting period, favoring repeatable, donor-directed memorial support and large unrestricted grants rather than many small awards.
Notable grantees: LSS Foundation (Christopher David Boerke Fund for Aspen House), Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Foundation
Grantmaking is concentrated in Wisconsin, which accounts for the foundation’s most frequent recipient state and includes Milwaukee, West Allis, Wauwatosa, St Francis, Brookfield, and Neenah. Milwaukee appears repeatedly as the main city in the recent record, including awards to hospitals, schools, arts, and youth-serving organizations. Outside Wisconsin, the only recent recipients shown are in Washington, DC; Chicago, Illinois; and Boca Grande, Florida. All recent grants in the data went to U.S. recipients.
The recent grants point to family- and child-centered health and social services, along with faith-affiliated community care. Examples include support for hospitals, early learning, youth programs, animal care work, and memorial-designated funds for residential social-service programming.
Yes. Wisconsin is the top state by grant count, with multiple recipients in Milwaukee and other Wisconsin cities such as West Allis, Wauwatosa, St Francis, Brookfield, and Neenah. The data also shows some grants outside Wisconsin.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is small but meaningful: $1,000 at the 25th percentile, $2,000 at the median, and $5,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record also includes a much larger $100,000 grant.
Several recipients appear across multiple years, including City Forward Collective, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Humane Society, and The Medical College of Wisconsin. That indicates ongoing relationships in parts of the portfolio rather than a purely one-time approach.
The recent grants include general and unrestricted support, event and campaign funding, program or project support, and research-and-medical funding. Named purposes also include memorial-designated support and specific funds such as an early learning center, hearing and balance services, and Alzheimer’s research.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION INC | BOSTON, MA | $40,000 | 2026 | For the Christopher D. Boerke Endowed Fund |
| FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FOUNDATION INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $35,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| ST AUGUSTINE PREPARATORY ACADEMY INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | Charitable Event |
| NORTHSHORE CLASSICAL ACADEMY LTD | MEQUON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION AMERICA | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $5,000 | 2026 | The On Call Africa Friends Fund |
| LIFE NAVIGATORS INC | WAUWATOSA, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| WISCONSIN HUMANE SOCIETY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| KRISTINAS KIDS INC | BROOKFIELD, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| GREEN TREE GARDEN CLUB INC | MEQUON, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MILWAUKEE CORPORATION | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| PENINSULA SCHOOL OF ART INC | FISH CREEK, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CUREPSP INC | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | PSP Research |
| PENINSULA PLAYERS THEATRE FOUNDATION INC | FISH CREEK, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| NORTH SHORE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH | FOX POINT, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| JUNIOR LEAGUE OF MILWAUKEE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| FRIENDS OF SCHLITZ-AUDUBON CENTER INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BIRCH CREEK MUSIC PERFORMANCE CENTER INC | EGG HARBOR, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| LSS FOUNDATION INC | WEST ALLIS, WI | $100,000 | 2025 | Christopher David Boerke Fund at the LSS Foundation for the benefit of Aspen House |
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $40,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CITY FORWARD COLLECTIVE INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| WISCONSIN HUMANE SOCIETY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | to support Youth Programs and animal care work |
| ST MARCUS LUTHERAN CHURCH | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | Early Learning Center at St Marcus School |
| ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE | ST FRANCIS, WI | $3,000 | 2025 | For the Love One Another Campaign |
| ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE | ST FRANCIS, WI | $7,000 | 2024 | For the Love One Another Campaign Fund |
| BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL INC - WISCONSIN CHAPTER | WAUWATOSA, WI | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| CITY FORWARD COLLECTIVE INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| LIFE NAVIGATORS INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2024 | We Care Fund of the Medical College of Wisconsin |
| THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,500 | 2024 | MCW - The We Care Fund |
| THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2024 | We Care Fund for Medical Innovation and Research |
| THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2024 | Alzheimer's Research Program |
| MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| WISCONSIN HUMANE SOCIETY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER MILWAUKEE INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| OUR LADY OF MERCY PARISH | BOCA GRANDE, FL | $500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| WOMANS BOARD OF NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | CHICAGO, IL | $500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| FIRST STAGE MILWAUKEE INC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2023 | Charitable Event |
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| KRISTINAS KIDS INC | BROOKFIELD, WI | $2,500 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,000 | 2023 | MCW - The We Care Fund |
| UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MILWAUKEE CORPORATION | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCORPORATED | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2023 | to purchase food for Ukraine |
| THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2023 | Koss Hearing and Balance Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin |
| MOORING PROGRAMS INCORPORATED | NEENAH, WI | $1,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| FRIENDS OF SCHLITZ-AUDUBON CENTER INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $500 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
For the Christopher D. Boerke Endowed Fund
MAYO CLINIC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
KRISTINAS KIDS INC
$2,500General & Unrestricted
GREEN TREE GARDEN CLUB INC
$1,000General & Unrestricted
NORTH SHORE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
$1,000General & Unrestricted
JUNIOR LEAGUE OF MILWAUKEE
$1,000General & Unrestricted
FRIENDS OF SCHLITZ-AUDUBON CENTER INC
$1,000General & Unrestricted
BIRCH CREEK MUSIC PERFORMANCE CENTER INC
$1,000General & Unrestricted
LSS FOUNDATION INC
$100,000Christopher David Boerke Fund at the LSS Foundation for the benefit of Aspen House
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION INC
$40,000General & Unrestricted
ST MARCUS LUTHERAN CHURCH
$5,000Early Learning Center at St Marcus School
ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE
$3,000For the Love One Another Campaign
ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE
$7,000For the Love One Another Campaign Fund
BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL INC - WISCONSIN CHAPTER
$5,000General & Unrestricted
We Care Fund of the Medical College of Wisconsin
We Care Fund for Medical Innovation and Research
OUR LADY OF MERCY PARISH
$500General & Unrestricted
WOMANS BOARD OF NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
$500General & Unrestricted
KRISTINAS KIDS INC
$2,500General & Unrestricted
Koss Hearing and Balance Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin
FRIENDS OF SCHLITZ-AUDUBON CENTER INC
$1,000General & Unrestricted