Funding search · EIN 391923558 · Waukesha, WI

The Robert D and Patricia E Kern

Name: The Robert D and Patricia E Kern grants, 2022–2024
Creator: PaperOrbit
License: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organization-public-disclosure-and-availability-requirements

A private foundation (files IRS Form 990-PF). Most private foundations do not take unsolicited applications; the route in is usually a program officer.

368
grants reported: $154.8M
total given: 2022–2024
filing years: $99,550
median grant

Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 2022–2024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.

What they fund

embedding institutionally apdp implement character development integration education

Funder website ↗Full IRS filings ↗How this is built Report an error

Funding pattern

What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.

Where the money goes

Embedding entrepreneurial mindset in undergraduate engineering programs
Character and virtue formation in higher education and medical education
Charter school networks and school choice expansion
Faith-based pastoral and leadership development (APDP) at Christian colleges
Free-market and civil liberties policy organizations
Milwaukee and Waukesha area schools and teacher pipelines

Typical grant

The median is right around $100,000, with the middle half between $25,000 and $353,000. The $25,000 to $50,000 band is almost entirely first-stage or continuing 'embedding EM institutionally' awards to engineering schools; the eight-figure checks go to a short list of national network partners like Charter Fund, MTF Fund, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Great Hearts. Giving repeats: 368 grants to 185 recipients over three years means most grantees come back, and the pattern looks like small entry grants that scale up over time.

Their words

Phrases from their own grant descriptions, worth speaking back to them.

“EMBEDDING EM INSTITUTIONALLY”
“IMPLEMENT APDP”
“GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT”
“CHARACTER”
“FLOURISHING”

Positioning adjacent work

Frame engineering or professional education work as embedding entrepreneurial mindset institutionally, not as a standalone research project.
Ask $25,000 to $50,000 first if you are new; that is the standard entry-level EM award.
Tie character and virtue formation to a named campus-wide framework, as Harvard, Belmont, and Notre Dame did.
Emphasize institutional adoption and scale across a network rather than one department or one cohort.

Worth knowing: Roughly a third of all dollars went to four organizations, and the long tail of $25,000 to $50,000 engineering grants is clearly one coordinated network initiative rather than open-field giving. Wisconsin gets the most grants by count, but the largest checks leave the state, and the Kern Institute at the Medical College of Wisconsin is a standing commitment rather than a competitive award.

Top recipients

Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.

The Medical College of Wisconsin3 grants · $16.2M
Greathearts Foundation3 grants · $15.5M
Mtf Fund3 grants · $15.0M
Charter Fund1 grant · $14.4M
Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University3 grants · $9.7M
Wake Forest University3 grants · $4.6M
Pbs Foundation2 grants · $4.0M
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty2 grants · $3.2M
In Medias Res2 grants · $3.1M
British Schools and Universities Foundation3 grants · $2.9M

Giving over time

$34.2M

2022

$54.0M

2023

$66.5M

2024

Grant history

The 100 largest of 368 grants.

$14.4M
Charter Fund · Denver, CO · 2024
Impact-character-cte integration
$9.2M
Mtf Fund · Overland Park, KS · 2024
Ongoing operational support
$8.1M
The Medical College of Wisconsin · Milwaukee, WI · 2023
Kern institute - mcw - national transformation network
$7.5M
The Medical College of Wisconsin · Milwaukee, WI · 2024
Kern institute - mcw - national transformation network
$6.5M
Greathearts Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Network expansion and programming support
$6.5M
Greathearts Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Support the expansion of the great hearts school network; support the virtue leadership program
$6.2M
Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University · Tempe, AZ · 2024
Embedding em institutionally
$3.0M
Pbs Foundation · Arlington, VA · 2024
Development and promotion of ken burns film
$3.0M
Mtf Fund · Overland Park, KS · 2022
Support the growth and impact of mtf; operating expenses
$2.9M
Mtf Fund · Overland Park, KS · 2023
Ongoing operational support
$2.5M
Greathearts Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Support the expansion of the great hearts school network; support the virtue leadership program
$2.2M
Wake Forest University · Winstonsalem, NC · 2023
To support the placement of 1 post-doc for 2 years; embedding em institutionally
$2.2M
Wake Forest University · Winstonsalem, NC · 2024
Embedding em institutionally; post-doc support
$2.0M
In Medias Res · Charlottesville, VA · 2023
Support four ongoing initiatives
$1.7M
Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University · Tempe, AZ · 2022
Implementing principled innovation as the 9th design principle at asu; embedding em institutionally
$1.7M
Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University · Tempe, AZ · 2023
Implementing principled innovation as the 9th design principle at asu; embedding em institutionally
$1.6M
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty · Grand Rapids, MI · 2023
Operational support and outreach
$1.6M
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty · Grand Rapids, MI · 2022
Fwe focused programming, conferences
$1.6M
Grand Canyon University · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Implement apdp; support to develop the gcu center for character education; embedding em institutionally; support to develop the gcu center for character education
$1.5M
President and Fellows of Harvard College · Boston, MA · 2024
Human flourishing program capacity; pilot to address ethics and character on campus
$1.4M
Milwaukee School of Engineering · Milwaukee, WI · 2022
Create institute formation; kern scholarship fund; mba ed leadership program; em faculty development training; embedding em institutionally
$1.2M
British Schools and Universities Foundation · New York, NY · 2024
Character initiative; development of character virtues
$1.1M
In Medias Res · Charlottesville, VA · 2024
Support four ongoing initiatives
$1.1M
British Schools and Universities Foundation · New York, NY · 2023
Character initiative; development of character virtues
$1.0M
Wgu Advancement · Salt Lake City, UT · 2023
Support the development of character-focused programming
$1.0M
Belmont University · Nashville, TN · 2024
Develop a framework to form leaders for flourishing at belmont university
$1.0M
Pbs Foundation · Arlington, VA · 2023
Development of ken burns film
$905,000
New Schools for Alabama · Birmingham, AL · 2023
Support creating and operating charter schools in alabama
$905,000
New Schools for Alabama · Birmingham, AL · 2022
Support creating and operating charter schools in alabama
$887,000
University of West Alabama Foundation · Livingston, AL · 2023
To develop rural leaders networks in southern al
$887,000
University of West Alabama Foundation · Livingston, AL · 2022
To develop rural leaders networks in southern al
$839,375
Ohio State University Foundation · Columbus, OH · 2024
Embedding em institutionally
$817,620
The Aspen Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
Launch the digital leadership development index assessment tool
$779,319
George Washington University · Washington, DC · 2023
Embedding em institutionally
$777,250
Belmont University · Nashville, TN · 2023
Infuse character education across belmont university; fwe integration
$775,000
George Washington University · Washington, DC · 2022
Embedding em institutionally
$760,600
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois · Champaign, IL · 2022
Embedding em institutionally; keen implementation; entrepreneurial minded faculty development training
$750,000
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research · Washington, DC · 2023
Support the initiative on faith and public life
$735,000
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois · Champaign, IL · 2023
Embedding em institutionally
$734,683
Rowan University Foundation · Glassboro, NJ · 2022
Embedding em institutionally
$702,250
Southeastern University · Lakeland, FL · 2023
Grow apdp; fwe integration
$700,000
President and Fellows of Harvard College · Boston, MA · 2023
Human flourishing program capacity; pilot to address ethics and character on campus
$700,000
President and Fellows of Harvard College · Boston, MA · 2022
Human flourishing program capacity; pilot to address ethics and character on campus
$700,000
Southeastern University · Lakeland, FL · 2022
Grow apdp
$692,900
Character Lab · Philadelphia, PA · 2022
Character focused content and programming
$685,000
Grand Canyon University · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Implement apdp; support to develop the gcu center for character education; embedding em institutionally; support to develop the gcu center for character education
$675,000
Character Lab · Philadelphia, PA · 2023
Character focused content and programming
$669,000
Georgia Tech Research Corporation · Atlanta, GA · 2023
Embedding em institutionally
$650,000
Windrider Institute · Eagle, ID · 2024
Support for 2024 windrider forum
$645,000
Ohio State University Foundation · Columbus, OH · 2023
Embedding em institutionally
$645,000
University of Northern Iowa Foundation · Cedar Falls, IA · 2023
Ed leadership program; develop a state network for school leaders; character integration
$645,000
University of Northern Iowa Foundation · Cedar Falls, IA · 2022
Ed leadership program; develop a state network for school leaders; character integration
$629,523
North Central College · Naperville, IL · 2023
Character education project
$620,122
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching · Nashville, TN · 2022
Accelerating character education and development for leaders
$605,726
British Schools and Universities Foundation · New York, NY · 2022
Character initiative; development of character virtues
$600,000
American Association of Colleges and Universities · Washington, DC · 2024
Support for the clte
$600,000
American Association of Colleges and Universities · Washington, DC · 2023
Support for the coalition for life transformative education (clte)
$600,000
American Association of Colleges and Universities · Washington, DC · 2022
Support for the clte
$600,000
The Medical College of Wisconsin · Milwaukee, WI · 2022
Kern institute - mcw - national transformation network; support endowed chair of brain trauma research
$600,000
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty · Milwaukee, WI · 2022
Operating expenses
$598,381
Board of Trustees for the University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL · 2022
Support the infusion of character education into external programming
$580,000
Bes · Boston, MA · 2023
Embed virtue ethics character across leadership programs
$580,000
Concordia University · Irvine, CA · 2022
Implement apdp
$549,000
George Washington University · Washington, DC · 2024
Embedding em institutionally
$525,000
Milwaukee School of Engineering · Milwaukee, WI · 2024
Embedding em institutionally
$516,384
Center for Urban Teaching · Milwaukee, WI · 2024
Support leadership development program
$500,000
University of Notre Dame Du Lac · Notre Dame, IN · 2024
To facilitate the cultivation of character in education across diverse fields
$500,000
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty · Milwaukee, WI · 2024
General operating support
$500,000
Concordia University · Irvine, CA · 2023
Implement apdp
$500,000
University of Notre Dame Du Lac · Notre Dame, IN · 2023
To facilitate the cultivation of character in education across diverse fields
$500,000
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty · Milwaukee, WI · 2023
Operating expenses
$500,000
Yerkes Future Foundation · Williams Bay, WI · 2023
Build program capacity
$500,000
Boston College Trustees · Chestnut Hill, MA · 2022
Support the development of professional learning communities (plc's)
$500,000
Yerkes Future Foundation · Williams Bay, WI · 2022
Build program capacity
$495,000
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois · Champaign, IL · 2024
Embedding em institutionally
$490,308
Center for Urban Teaching · Milwaukee, WI · 2023
Support leadership development program
$490,308
Center for Urban Teaching · Milwaukee, WI · 2022
Support leadership development program
$480,000
Bes · Boston, MA · 2022
Embed virtue ethics character across leadership programs
$475,000
Parent Choice · Brookfield, WI · 2023
Operating expense
$475,000
Uw-Platteville Foundation · Platteville, WI · 2022
Embedding em institutionally; keen implementation; entrepreneurial minded faculty development training
$450,000
New Schools for Alabama · Birmingham, AL · 2024
Support creating and operating charter schools in alabama
$425,000
Duke University · Durham, NC · 2023
Implement apdp; embedding em institutionally
$415,000
Lipscomb University · Nashville, TN · 2022
Implement apdp; infuse character in principal leadership program
$400,000
Boston College Trustees · Chestnut Hill, MA · 2023
Support the development of professional learning communities (plc's)
$400,000
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation · Williamsburg, VA · 2023
Operating expenses
$400,000
Belmont University · Nashville, TN · 2022
Infuse character education across belmont university
$400,000
Teach for America · New York, NY · 2022
Support summer institute; infuse character into programming
$396,998
Board of Trustees for the University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL · 2023
Support the infusion of character education into external programming
$381,000
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC · 2023
Embedding em institutionally
$375,000
Teach for America · New York, NY · 2023
Operating expenses
$362,500
Foundation for Economic Education · Atlanta, GA · 2022
Program support
$353,470
Lipscomb University · Nashville, TN · 2023
Enhance character education throughout the principal preparation program; implement apdp; implementation of flow principles into theological education; fwe integration
$353,000
Uplift Education · Dallas, TX · 2023
To build upon the student and staff well-being initiative
$353,000
Uplift Education · Dallas, TX · 2022
To build upon the student and staff well-being initiative
$345,000
Duke University · Durham, NC · 2024
Embedding em institutionally; implement apdp
$315,838
Azusa Pacific University · Azusa, CA · 2023
Implement apdp; faith work & economics (fwe) integration
$305,000
Uw-Platteville Foundation · Platteville, WI · 2023
Embedding em institutionally
$302,500
Yes Every Kid Foundation · Arlington, VA · 2024
To support future implementation strategy
$300,000
St Marys University of Minnesota · Winona, MN · 2022
Support the infusion of virtue ethics character into the education specialist curriculum
$290,000
The Aspen Institute · Washington, DC · 2022
Launch the digital leadership development index assessment tool

View all 368 grants →

Who else funds this kind of work

Same state

Children'S Hospital of Wisconsin82 grants · $246.0M
Ascendium Education Solutions667 grants · $296.7M
Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing6,575 grants · $204.2M

Similar grant size

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Tides Foundation9,402 grants · $1.86B

Grants already paid are the record; PaperOrbit reads your paper and finds the funders whose record matches it — then explains why.

Search funders like this one

Source: IRS Form 990-PF, Part XV, as filed by the foundation. These are grants already paid — a record of what this funder backs, not an open call.