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.

Enkel supports dynamic, entrepreneurial organizations making a difference in the communities in which board members live and work. Board members award grants and manage service opportunities.

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

In 2023, Enkel awarded more than $40,000 in grants to eligible organizations. Recipients included:
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  • Hour Children, a nonprofit located in New York which provides housing and other supports to help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children
  • Equiticity, a racial equity movement based in Chicago, IL
  • Global Fund for Children in support of their emergency response to the crisis in Ukraine
  • InspireMSP, an organization based in Minneapolis engaging underserved students on a journey of dreaming, learning and becoming
  • United Nations Relief and Works Agency to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza
  • The Moreau Center for Service and Justice at the University of Portland
 
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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CURRENT GRANTEES

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.

    Contact Us

    For more information, feel free to contact us.

    Please note: Enkel Foundation works with partners on a select number of issues. Given this strategic focus, we do not accept unsolicited proposals at this time.     
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.