GHR Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Minneapolis-based GHR Foundation supports education, global development and research on the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
IP TAKE: GHR limits much of its funding to Catholic schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Global development and Alzheimer’s funding are also limited in scope. This is not an accessible funder as it preselects its grantee partners and does not accept unsolicited applications for funding. This is a funder that conducts philanthropy through a Catholic-lens, so your work needs to keep this in mind in order to qualify for support. This razor-focused funder does not take notable risks in what it chooses to fund, and supported grantees must be affiliated with Catholic teachings. This is a hard nut to crack.
PROFILE: Based in Minneapolis, the GHR Foundation was established in 1965 by Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst. Gerald, who died in 2014, was the founder of a commercial real estate and construction company now known as the Opus Group. His wife, Henrietta, helped him establish and run the company, especially in its early years. The GHR Foundation, which “exists to be of service to people and their limitless potential for good,” reflects its founding couple’s devotion to Catholicism, supporting many Catholic organizations in its areas of interest. Current grantmaking initiatives include education, global engagement and Alzheimer’s prevention.
Grants for Minnesota and K-12 Education
Although it is one of GHR’s largest funding areas, K-12 funding is limited to Catholic schools in the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Funding prioritizes schools with a high percentage of low-income students and high academic standards. Recent grantmaking has supported STEM initiatives, faculty and administration leadership development, capacity building, general operations, community outreach and scholarships. Grantees include Risen Christ Catholic School, Community of Saints Regional Catholic School, Blessed Trinity Catholic School and St. John Paul II Catholic Preparatory School.
Grants for Higher Education
GHR’s higher education also focuses on Catholic institutions, prioritizing the three Catholic Universities where its founders earned degrees. The University of St. Thomas Minnesota, where Gerald earned his undergraduate degree, is the home of the Opus College of Business, which is named for Rauenhorst’s company, and Rauenhorst’s graduate school, Marquette University, houses the Opus College of Engineering. Meanwhile, Henrietta’s school, St. Catherine University, is the home of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health. All three alma maters receive ongoing support from the foundation, which also supports Boston College and the University of Notre Dame.
Grants for Global Development
GHR’s global engagement program runs three sub-initiatives: Children in Families, Inter-Religious Action and Supporting Sisters. The Children in Families initiative works in the areas of family support, child protection and systemic change toward child- and family-friendly policy. Past geographic priorities include Nepal, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Vietnam and Guatemala, and the foundation currently supports organizations operating in Cambodia, Uganda and Zambia. Grantees include First Step Cambodia, Catholic Relief Services of Zambia and the Christian Alliance for Orphans.
The foundation’s Inter-Religious Action program aims to “improve development outcomes” by forging productive relationships between and among religious leaders and communities. The program takes a problem-solving approach, bringing stakeholders with common concerns together. In Nigeria, for example, where malaria continues to pose a serious health problem, the foundation has worked with various religious leaders on local levels to advocate for the importance and use of mosquito nets and other preventative measures. Other geographic areas of interest have included Kenya, the Central African Republic and Myanmar. Past grantees include Mercy Corps Nigeria, Peace Direct U.K., Religions for Peace, Jesuit Refugee Service International and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
GHR’s Sister Support sub-initiative aims to “ensure a vital future for Catholic sisters,” and supports leadership development, recruitment initiatives and financial and communication resource development for Catholic sisterhoods in the U.S. and Africa. In Uganda, the foundation supported the All Africa Conference Sister to Sister, which trains nuns to be counselors to victims of civil and domestic violence and AIDS/HIV patients. Other grantees include the Zambia Association of Sisterhoods, the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya, the Leadership Conference of Religious Women and the International Union of Superiors General, which used funding for law scholarships for sisters in Africa.
Grants for Disease and Brain Research
GHR made a $17 million five-year commitment to fund research on the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Funding supported the development of a screening tool at the Mayo Clinic, and the evaluation of preventative treatments at Washington University, Harvard University and the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute.
Important Grant Details:
The GHR Foundation makes over $25 million in grants each year. Its largest area of giving is education, which accounts for more than 40 percent of its total grantmaking. Grants range from a few thousand to over $1 million, with an average grant size of about $50,000. The foundation shares its financial statements and grantee information on its grants page.
GHR does not accept applications for funding, choosing instead to proactively identify its grantee partners. General inquiries may be directed to the foundation via email or telephone at 612-440-2500.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
