Updated:
Children's Wisconsin
Children's Wisconsin opened in 1894 as a free children's hospital and has since grown into one of the Midwest's largest pediatric health systems.
Children's Wisconsin
Children's Wisconsin opened in 1894 as a free children's hospital and has since grown into one of the Midwest's largest pediatric health systems. The organization treats over 500,000 children annually across primary care, specialty clinics, and two hospitals in Milwaukee and Neenah. Its affiliated Medical College of Wisconsin partnership drives a research enterprise housed at the Children's Research Institute, while the Children's Wisconsin Foundation raises philanthropic capital that flows alongside the system's internal investment portfolio. Kaitie Gannett, who joined from Milwaukee-based private equity firm Mason Wells, directs an investment program that allocates across asset classes including venture capital, private equity, and real estate. The portfolio holds a cluster of commercial properties concentrated on Milwaukee's west side — the Corporate Center on 92nd Street, the Woodlake Business Center in Wauwatosa, and Summit Place in West Allis — alongside the system's flagship hospital campus on Wisconsin Avenue. A separate commitment sits in a Central American and Caribbean investment vehicle, and the firm maintains co-investor ties to Mason Wells, where Gannett previously served as a director sourcing buyout opportunities. Governance sits with a board co-chaired by Patrick Hammes, managing principal of healthcare real estate investor Hammes Partners, linking the system to specialized development capital for clinical facilities. President and CEO Gil Peri leads operations across a network that includes the Fox Valley hospital in Neenah, extending the investment program's physical footprint beyond Milwaukee County. The foundation arm funnels donor capital into pediatric research and clinical initiatives, operating adjacent to but distinct from the endowment-style pools Gannett oversees. Structurally, Children's Wisconsin functions as a hybrid: a nonprofit health system running an internal investment office that makes direct venture commitments more commonly associated with family offices or RIAs. The Mason Wells connection — via Gannett's prior role and ongoing co-investment activity — creates a sourcing channel into lower-mid-market private equity and growth-stage healthcare companies across the Upper Midwest. This arrangement gives the system deal flow that most regional hospital endowments cannot access, positioning it closer to a principal investor than a passive limited partner.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1894
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Milwaukee
Corporate office
Milwaukee, WI, United States
Additional offices
Neenah, WI
Principals
Kaitie Gannett
Head of Investments
Gil Peri
President and CEO
Patrick Hammes
Board Co-Chair
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Children's Wisconsin?
Kaitie Gannett leads investments for Children's Wisconsin as Head of Investments. She joined the health system from Mason Wells, a Milwaukee-based private equity firm, where she served as a Director. Gannett's role spans the system's endowment-style pools, direct venture commitments, and commercial real estate holdings concentrated in the Milwaukee area (per Altss research).
How is Children's Wisconsin's investment office structured?
The investment function operates internally, not as a separate outsourced CIO arrangement. Gannett runs a program that blends mission-aligned endowment management with direct investments, including venture capital and commercial real estate assets tied to the health system's Milwaukee footprint. The office maintains co-investor relationships with Mason Wells, Gannett's prior firm.
Does Children's Wisconsin invest directly in venture capital?
Yes. The portfolio includes direct venture capital commitments across multiple strategies, according to Altss research. The firm's strategy tags indicate general venture capital allocations. Additionally, a Central American and Caribbean investment portfolio sits within the broader asset mix, suggesting an international venture or private equity mandate.
What real estate does Children's Wisconsin hold?
The portfolio includes six commercial properties in Wisconsin: the Milwaukee Hospital at 9000 W. Wisconsin Avenue, the Corporate Center at 999 N. 92nd Street, Summit Place in West Allis, the Woodlake Business Center in Wauwatosa, the Fox Valley Hospital in Neenah, and the Children's Research Institute on Watertown Plank Road in Milwaukee (per Altss research).
How does the Children's Wisconsin Foundation relate to the investment portfolio?
The Children's Wisconsin Foundation operates as a separate philanthropic entity that raises donor capital to support pediatric research, clinical programs, and hospital initiatives. While distinct from the investment office, foundation assets contribute to the broader capital base that the health system deploys. Gannett's investment team manages the endowment-style pools, not the foundation's donor-advised funds.
What is the relationship between Children's Wisconsin and Mason Wells?
The connection runs through Kaitie Gannett, who previously sourced buyout deals as a Director at Mason Wells before becoming Head of Investments at Children's Wisconsin. The two entities maintain a co-investor relationship, with Mason Wells listed as a co-investor of the health system's investment program (per Altss research). This creates a deal-flow pipeline into the lower-mid-market private equity and healthcare sectors where Mason Wells operates.
Where is Children's Wisconsin's capital deployed geographically?
The investment footprint centers on Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the health system owns multiple commercial properties, a research institute, and its flagship hospital. Beyond Wisconsin, the portfolio extends to a Central American and Caribbean investment vehicle, per Altss research. The firm's venture capital commitments suggest broader geographic reach through fund investments.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on endowments & foundations?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: