Who We Are

At Bader Philanthropies, our Mission is to help people and honor the legacy of our founders, Helen Daniels Bader and Isabel and Alfred Bader. We strive to do this through grants and program-related investments, by convening partners, engaging with community, and developing leaders.

Our work begins with values. The Foundation is guided by Dignity, Compassion, Humility, Integrity, and Service, and we aim to live these values in every relationship and decision we make. We practice Cultural Intentionality—seeing ourselves and others as unique individuals within a cultural context—and we believe this is essential to building trust, connecting across differences, and strengthening our collective impact. We also commit to Embedded Philanthropy, Continuous Improvement, and Good Governance as important ways we hold ourselves accountable to the people and communities we serve.

We oppose hate, racism, antisemitism, and discrimination in any form and toward any population. Bader Philanthropies supports the State of Israel and its right to exist.

We support organizations of all sizes that are committed to improving quality of life in our communities. We are equally committed to convening, offering a welcoming space that brings people from all walks of life together to share diverse perspectives, spark solutions, and advance meaningful change.

Our physical presence reflects our commitment to community. From our beginnings in downtown Milwaukee, to the Historic Third Ward, and now in the Harambee neighborhood, we continue to practice the intentions of our trailblazing founders and their deep love for people, service, and one another.