Harri Hoffmann Family Foundation Inc.

The Harri Hoffmann Family Foundation is a values-driven Milwaukee private grantmaker rooted in Jewish ethical teaching — specifically the moral obligation to create a just and equitable world. Founded in 1986 by German-Jewish refugees Harri and Herta Hoffmann, who escaped Nazi persecution in 1939 and built a premium shoe polish manufacturing company (Harri Hoffmann Co.) in Milwaukee's Third Ward, the foundation honors their legacy and that of their daughter Lorraine. Following a transformative $22.2M endowment contribution received in 2019, the foundation grew from a $3M to a $25M asset base and expanded annual grantmaking from ~$220,000 to nearly $2,000,000.

The foundation's most important signal for applicants is its explicit organizational preference: it seeks smaller organizations where its grants can have a substantial impact, guided by a community-building needs-based approach. Large, well-resourced institutions are at a structural disadvantage here. The ideal applicant is a modestly staffed nonprofit delivering high-impact Jewish education, social services, or community programming in greater Milwaukee — an organization where a $15,000-$50,000 grant represents a meaningful percentage of the operating budget and produces demonstrably measurable outcomes.

Three program pillars shape giving: Educational Programming, Social Services, and Jewish Activities. These function as overlapping categories rather than exclusive silos — many funded organizations span multiple areas simultaneously (a Jewish day school also delivers social services; a Hillel chapter spans Jewish activities and education). Secular organizations serving Milwaukee-area youth, families, or underserved populations — including Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Foundation, GiGi's Playhouse, and Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra — have also received grants. This signals that community impact and alignment with Jewish philanthropic values matter alongside explicit religious affiliation.

The application pathway is genuinely open. There is no letter of inquiry (LOI) requirement and no invitation-only gate — organizations apply directly via a standardized online form or mailed PDF. The board reviews submissions three times annually (April, August, December), creating predictable ~60-day decision cycles. Grant requests are accepted for one year only, so proposals should be scoped accordingly. Leadership is a lean four-person team: Alan Matsoff (President/Treasurer, ~$22K annual compensation), Tobias Libber (Executive VP, ~$27-30K), Evelyn Hoffmann (VP, family member, uncompensated), and Raisa Koltun (Secretary, uncompensated). Decisions are made by a small, cohesive group with deep Milwaukee Jewish community knowledge — personal familiarity with the organization or its leadership is an asset but not a prerequisite.

The Harri Hoffmann Family Foundation has undergone a decade-long funding transformation. From 2011 through 2015, annual grants paid ranged from $200,000-$225,000, drawn from a $3M asset base. A pivotal $22.2M cash contribution received in fiscal year 2019 (total revenue that year: $23.1M) expanded the endowment dramatically, enabling a step-change in grantmaking: $485,000 in 2019, $1.33M in 2020, $1.55M in 2021, $1.65M in 2022, and $1.80M in 2023. Total giving including fees and investment costs reached $2.0M in 2023. Assets have stabilized between $24-$25M.

Individual grant sizing from 66 documented grants: median $15,000; average $20,202; minimum $2,500; maximum $240,000. The distribution is right-skewed — the majority of grants cluster between $10,000-$35,000, with a smaller cohort of anchor relationships at $50,000-$240,000. The highest-value ongoing relationship is Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study ($420,000 across two grant cycles), followed by Lake Park Synagogue ($157,500), Milwaukee Jewish Federation ($108,000), and Ohr Hatorah ($60,000). These anchor relationships demonstrate that multi-cycle engagement can build toward six-figure annual support for organizations with sustained performance.

Geographic breakdown across 180 documented grants: 134 grants to Wisconsin organizations (74%), nearly all in Milwaukee metro. Illinois received 15 grants (8%), New York 14 grants (8%), Florida 4 grants (2%), with scattered presence in Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, and Michigan. Out-of-state grants typically flow to national Jewish institutions headquartered elsewhere (American Jewish World Service, Jewish National Fund, Colel Chabad) or diaspora-connected programs (Central Fund of Israel/Barkai Mental Health).

Program area breakdown based on grant purpose language: Jewish education and religious programming — yeshivot, day schools, synagogues, Hillels, Israel-linked organizations — accounts for approximately 60-65% of grant dollars. Social services (family support, elder care, disability programs, youth development) represent approximately 20%. Arts, culture, and general Milwaukee community organizations account for approximately 15%.

Net investment income ($502,639 in 2023 from a $24.9M asset base) drives the foundation's revenue with no ongoing external contributions since 2019, supporting consistent grant levels from endowment returns. Officer compensation is lean ($52,608 total in 2023), leaving the overwhelming majority of revenue available for grantmaking.

The Harri Hoffmann Family Foundation occupies a distinctive niche in Milwaukee philanthropy: a mid-sized family foundation (~$25M assets) combining genuinely open quarterly applications with a concentrated Jewish community focus. The peer landscape ranges from much larger community foundations to smaller invitation-only family funds.

Among these peers, the Harri Hoffmann Family Foundation stands out on three dimensions. First, it is the only one offering fully open applications without a prior relationship requirement — a rare entry point for organizations new to Milwaukee Jewish philanthropy. Second, its grant range ($2,500-$240,000, median $15,000) is well-matched to mid-sized organizations that may be too small for Bader Philanthropies or Greater Milwaukee Foundation to prioritize meaningfully. Third, its Jewish educational focus is operationally granular — individual synagogues, yeshivot, and Hillel chapters rather than systemwide institutions. For Milwaukee-area organizations that find the Greater Milwaukee Foundation too competitive and Bader Philanthropies invitation-only, HFFF represents the most accessible entry point into significant Milwaukee Jewish philanthropy.

No major leadership changes, new program announcements, or press releases from the Harri Hoffmann Family Foundation appeared in public sources for 2025-2026. The foundation operates with notable public quietude — it maintains a functional but minimal website, issues no press releases, and does not appear in regional philanthropy media coverage during the research period.

The most substantive recent public activity is administrative: the foundation published an updated Grant Request Application form dated April 24, 2025, available as a downloadable PDF at hhfamilyfoundation.org. The January 30, 2025 version had also been published earlier in the year, suggesting at least two iterations of the application form within 2025. This refresh indicates ongoing operational engagement, though the core quarterly deadline structure (February 28 / June 30 / October 31) remains unchanged.

Based on 2024 IRS 990 data reported by Grantmakers.io, the foundation awarded 124 grants in the most recent filing cycle, with maximum individual awards of $225,000. Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study, Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and Lake Park Synagogue continued as top recipients — consistent with the multi-year concentration pattern seen in earlier filings.

The last major inflection point remains the 2019 endowment expansion ($22.2M contribution received), which multiplied both assets and grant capacity tenfold. Since then, annual giving has grown steadily and deliberately — $1.33M (2020), $1.55M (2021), $1.65M (2022), $1.80M (2023) — reflecting a conservative distribution philosophy that prioritizes long-term endowment health. Leadership continuity (Alan Matsoff and Tobias Libber appear across multiple annual filings) signals organizational stability with no imminent strategic shifts anticipated.

Choose your deadline strategically. The three annual review cycles are not equivalent. The October 31 deadline for December board consideration falls at year-end when many nonprofit development offices are managing multiple year-end campaigns simultaneously — application quality can suffer. The February 28 deadline, submitted after the holiday season, and the June 30 deadline, following spring planning cycles, may allow for more polished submissions. If your organization has flexibility, target the cycle that provides the most preparation time.

Lead with impact-per-dollar, not budget size. The foundation's explicit preference for organizations where grants have 'substantial impact' means proposals should quantify the lever effect directly. If you are requesting $20,000 and it represents 18% of a program's total budget — funding 40 youth for an after-school year — say so in the first paragraph. Reviewers with deep community knowledge will recognize proportionality.

Use needs-based framing throughout. The foundation describes its approach as 'community-building needs-based.' Open with documented community need — waitlists, service gaps, demographic data on unmet demand — before describing your organization's capabilities. This is the opposite of institutional fundraising that leads with organizational prestige.

Anchor to one primary pillar. Even if your work spans Educational Programming, Social Services, and Jewish Activities, identify which pillar is primary and build the 1,000-word grant purpose around it. A focused ask resonates more with a small review team than a multi-pillar pitch.

For secular applicants, invoke shared values explicitly. Non-Jewish organizations — Milwaukee Youth Symphony, Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Children's Hospital, Teens Grow Greens — have received grants. The connective tissue is community wellbeing and values consistent with Jewish philanthropic tradition. Do not manufacture religious affiliation; do articulate how your work contributes to a just, equitable, and thriving Milwaukee community.

Submit online and on time. The website identifies the secure online form as the preferred submission method. Mailed PDFs introduce processing variables. Submissions after the quarterly deadline roll to the following cycle — there is no exception process.

Invest in the relationship modestly and appropriately. With only two paid staff, HFFF has limited relationship-building bandwidth. A single introductory email to info@hhfamilyfoundation.org is appropriate for pre-application fit questions. Repeated unsolicited follow-up before submission may create friction rather than rapport. If awarded, grant reporting and stewardship are the best foundation for the multi-cycle relationships the top grantees demonstrate.