Inspiring a new generation of giving.

About US

Enkel Foundation promotes values-oriented philanthropy through service and grant making. The Foundation is a forum for young family members to create a culture of giving.

Our Focus

The Enkel Foundation values faith, family and opportunity. We believe participation in family philanthropy is rich with opportunities to positively impact humanity.

Board members age 16 and up award grants in local communities and coordinate service opportunities. They are grandchildren of the founder eager to make an impact in their world.

Our Grant Making

Enkel supports dynamic, entrepreneurial organizations making a difference in the communities in which board members live and work. 

Enkel board members identify prospective grants, conduct due diligence and develop service-focused initiatives that positively impact communities.
 
Enkel Foundation works with partners on a select number of issues. Given this strategic focus, we do not accept unsolicited proposals.
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Our History

Started by Gerald (Gerry) A. and Henrietta (Hanky) Rauenhorst, founders of the Opus companies, Enkel Foundation provides a forum for young family members to learn and live philanthropy.

Born in Olivia, Minn., in 1927, the son of tenant farmers and one of eight children, Gerry began his business career at age six selling sweet corn at a busy highway intersection near the family farm. Gerry learned early practical lessons about the necessity of hard work and faith, anchoring his life on the words of St. Augustine: "I shall work as if everything depended on me; I shall pray as if everything depended on God."

As a student at St. Thomas College, Gerry invited Hanky Schmoll, a girl from the College of St. Catherine and a neighboring farming community, to the Tiger Homecoming Dance. That date launched a lifetime together.  The couple was married in 1950 and spent the next six decades raising seven children, building a business and living out their shared commitment to Catholic social values.

Gerry and Hanky started Enkel Foundation as vehicle to promote a new generation of giving, bringing hope and opportunity to those who need it most.
Enkel Foundation
Suite 2950, 60 South 6th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402

TEL: +1.612.440.2500

EMAIL: [email protected]
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About Us

Enkel Foundation promotes values-oriented philanthropy through service and grant making. The Foundation is a forum for young family philanthropists to create a culture of giving.