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Circle of Service Foundation
Michael P. Krasny created the Circle of Service Foundation in 1997. The foundation focuses grant activity on education, health, and Jewish community...
Circle of Service Foundation
Michael P. Krasny created the Circle of Service Foundation in 1997. The foundation focuses grant activity on education, health, and Jewish community organizations in the United States. Adam J. Levine serves as president. The foundation allocates capital across private equity, venture capital, real estate, and energy strategies. Confirmed holdings include limited partnership interests in Wynnchurch Capital Partners IV, Oakstreet Real Estate Capital Fund IV, Peak Rock Capital Fund II-A, Yorktown Energy Partners X, Coatue Management vintage 2019, Uncork Capital, and Blackstone Private Equity Funds. Geographic exposure centers on the United States with additional positions held through Sawdust Investment Management Corp. in operating companies such as PlusAI. The foundation reports 13 professionals. Sawdust Investment Management Corp., located in Chicago, serves as the primary investment advisor and manages both foundation assets and Krasny family holdings. Michael Krasny signed the Giving Pledge. Kate Lindberg holds the chief investment officer role at Sawdust. In May 2024 the foundation participated as a speaker at the Academy for Institutional Investors Spring Forum on family office investment strategy and asset allocation. The foundation maintains a distinct governance layer through its board and separate legal structure from Sawdust Investment Management Corp. This separation allows grant decisions to operate independently from the investment mandate while sharing the same underlying wealth source from CDW Corporation.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1997
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Chicago
Corporate office
30 South Wacker Drive Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Principals
Michael P. Krasny
Founder
Adam J. Levine
President
Harry J. Harczak, Jr.
Managing Director of Sawdust Investment Management
Kate Lindberg
Chief Investment Officer of Sawdust Investment Management
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Circle of Service Foundation?
Kate Lindberg serves as chief investment officer of Sawdust Investment Management Corp., the advisor to the foundation. Harry J. Harczak, Jr. acts as managing director of Sawdust. Adam J. Levine holds the president role at the foundation.
How is Circle of Service Foundation related to Sawdust Investment Management Corp.?
Sawdust Investment Management Corp. serves as the investment advisor to the foundation and manages assets for Michael Krasny. The two entities share the same wealth source but maintain separate legal structures.
Does Circle of Service Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The foundation holds limited partnership interests in multiple private equity, venture, and real estate funds including Wynnchurch Capital Partners IV and Oakstreet Real Estate Capital Fund IV.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
Michael P. Krasny founded CDW Corporation, which generated the original wealth. Krasny retained equity positions after the company's public listing and later sale.
What geographic regions receive grants from the foundation?
Grant activity concentrates in Cook County and Lake County, Illinois, with additional support for national organizations in education, health, and Jewish community causes.
Does Circle of Service Foundation maintain memberships in philanthropic networks?
The foundation belongs to the Science Philanthropy Alliance and the Jewish Funders Network. Michael Krasny is a signatory of the Giving Pledge.
Which asset classes appear in the foundation's portfolio?
Holdings include private equity, venture capital, real estate, energy, and commodities positions through limited partnership vehicles and direct ownership.
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.
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