# Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne

Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne is an Endowment / Foundation based in Fort Wayne, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Fort Wayne, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
- **Founded:** 1922
- **Assets under management:** $211M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** cfgfw.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/community-foundation-of-greater-fort-wayne

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne was founded in 1922 to pool charitable gifts into permanent endowments serving Allen County, Indiana. Brad Little runs the foundation as President and CEO, with Heidi Ludwig as COO and Sherry Early chairing the board for the 2025–2026 term. Its capital reflects generations of local donor intent rather than a single wealth-origin event. The foundation deploys assets across a fund-of-funds structure with allocations to hedge funds, private credit, and special situations, complemented by direct real estate and place-based investments in Fort Wayne. Confirmed holdings include its headquarters at 555 E Wayne Street, the Electric Works mixed-use redevelopment at 1690 Broadway, The Landing Phase I on Columbia Street, and Promenade Park along the riverfront. Co-investors in these community-scale projects include the City of Fort Wayne, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Lilly Endowment through its GIFT (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) initiative. The foundation partners with the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance for statewide network benchmarking and participates in the Council on Foundations' CF Insights program. Adjacent grantmaking structures include the Donald F. Wood and Darlene M. Richardson Foundation, the Women's Fund of Greater Fort Wayne, and the Youth Empowered Philanthropy (YEP) program, each operating as a named endowment vehicle under the foundation's umbrella. Sherry Early assumed the board chair role in 2025, reflecting planned governance rotation. The foundation's balance sheet includes beneficial interests in trusts and cash-value life insurance policies alongside its real asset portfolio, a structure designed to smooth payout obligations across market cycles. This multi-asset, multi-generational liability framework separates it from foundations that rely on a single financial sponsor or shorter-duration grantmaking pools.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Infrastructure
- Private Credit
- Hedge Funds
- Secondaries & Special Situations

## People

- R. Bradley Little — President and CEO
- Heidi Ludwig — Chief Operating Officer
- Sherry Early — Chair of the Board of Directors (2025-2026)

## Questions

### How does the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne invest its endowment?

The foundation uses a fund-of-funds structure, combining allocations to hedge funds, private credit, and special situations with direct investments in place-based real estate. This hybrid model lets it pursue both risk-adjusted financial returns and mission-aligned redevelopment in Allen County.

### What is the foundation's relationship with the Lilly Endowment?

The Lilly Endowment acts as a co-investor and program partner through the GIFT (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) initiative. This partnership provides matching funds and technical support to help build the foundation's permanent endowment and community grantmaking capacity.

### Who makes investment decisions at the foundation?

CEO Brad Little and COO Heidi Ludwig oversee the foundation's investment strategy, with board-level oversight from Chair Sherry Early. The foundation does not publicly disclose the names of any outsourced chief investment officer or external investment committee members.

### Does the foundation own property directly or only invest through funds?

It does both. The foundation directly owns its headquarters at 555 E Wayne Street and has invested in downtown redevelopment projects including Electric Works, The Landing, and Promenade Park. It also holds beneficial interests in trusts and cash-value life insurance policies as financial assets.

### What grantmaking programs operate under the foundation?

Alongside its general endowment, the foundation houses the Donald F. Wood and Darlene M. Richardson Foundation, the Women's Fund of Greater Fort Wayne, and Youth Empowered Philanthropy (YEP). Each operates as a named philanthropic vehicle with its own focus area.

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- [University of Northern Iowa Endowment](https://altss.com/profile/university-of-northern-iowa-endowment)
- [Operating Engineers' Local 324 Health Care Plan](https://altss.com/profile/operating-engineers-local-324-health-care-plan)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/community-foundation-of-greater-fort-wayne

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