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Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home
The Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home was established in 1941 through the merger of assets from four legacy institutions: the Abraham and Laura Lisner Home for...
Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home
The Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home was established in 1941 through the merger of assets from four legacy institutions: the Abraham and Laura Lisner Home for Aged Women, the Louise Home, the Henry and Annie Hurt Home for the Blind, and the John Dickson Home. Its original corpus traces to Abraham Lisner, founder of the Palais Royal department store, and to banker and philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran. Today President of the Board Robert Cooper and Treasurer Dan D'Agostino steward the entity's perpetual mission to serve low- and modest-income D.C. seniors. The organization deploys capital across a concentrated mix of public-market investments and direct real estate holdings. Its endowment directly funds healthcare and life-care services delivered on-site at 5425 Western Avenue NW, including affordable assisted living and skilled nursing. In 2023, the Home completed a 93-unit independent living expansion called The Louise on Western, developed alongside Urban Atlantic and financed in part by a loan from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund. The art program on campus maintains a dedicated collection, and the Home's investment portfolio provides the subsidy layer enabling below-market resident rates. The operating team reports to a board that includes Treasurer of the Board of Directors Dan D'Agostino and is led on the ground by CEO L. Ward Orem. The firm participates in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #25024), holds membership in the District of Columbia Health Care Association and the DC Coalition on Long Term Care, and is certified in LGBTQ+ cultural competence by SAGECare. In 2023, the Home completed its 93-unit independent living expansion on Western Avenue with development partner Urban Atlantic and a capital contribution from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund. Unlike standalone grantmaking foundations, the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home functions as a direct care provider capitalized by its pooled endowments. This architecture collapses the distance between investment office and operating charity — portfolio returns directly support bed capacity, nursing ratios, and subsidized housing units rather than third-party grantees. The consolidation of four separate charitable trusts into one operating platform remains structurally rare in the senior-care foundation landscape.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1941
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Washington, DC
Corporate office
5425 Western Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015, United States
Principals
L. Ward Orem
CEO
Robert Cooper
President of the Board of Directors
Dan D'Agostino
Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home use its endowment differently from a typical foundation?
Rather than making grants to third parties, the pooled endowment directly subsidizes on-site healthcare and affordable housing for low-income D.C. seniors. The investment portfolio covers gaps between resident payments and the true cost of care, operating more like a perpetual subsidy engine for a single provider campus than a traditional grantmaking foundation.
What is the origin of the Home's consolidated endowment?
The corpus was formed in 1941 through the merger of four separate charitable trusts: the Abraham and Laura Lisner Home, the Louise Home, the Henry and Annie Hurt Home for the Blind, and the John Dickson Home. The Lisner portion traces to Abraham Lisner's retail fortune from the Palais Royal department store, while the Louise Home originated with banker and Corcoran Gallery founder William Wilson Corcoran.
Does the Home have direct real estate exposure on its balance sheet?
Yes — the entire senior care campus at 5425 Western Avenue NW is an owned and operated real asset. In 2023, the Home completed a 93-unit independent living expansion called The Louise on Western, developed alongside Urban Atlantic with a loan from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund.
Who manages the investment portfolio today?
Investment oversight is the responsibility of the Board of Directors, led by President Robert Cooper and Treasurer Dan D'Agostino. The specific manager roster, asset allocation policy, and investment committee membership are not disclosed publicly.
Is the Home a single-family office or a public charity?
It operates as a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity. While its endowment structure resembles a family office in miniature, its mandate is entirely charitable — delivering direct health and life care services to low- and modest-income seniors in Washington, D.C.
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