# Dohmen Company Foundation

Dohmen Company Foundation is a Private Foundation based in Milwaukee, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Milwaukee, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Milwaukee, WI, United States
- **Founded:** 2008
- **Assets under management:** $75M – $100M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** dohmencompanyfoundation.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/dohmen-company-foundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Dohmen Company Foundation was established in 2008 but redefined its architecture a decade later when then-CEO Cynthia LaConte led the conversion of the operating company into a foundation-owned model. The wealth originates with Friedrich W. Dohmen, who founded Wisconsin's first wholesale drug store in Milwaukee in 1858. The foundation sits on a portfolio of commercial real estate in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward and Bronzeville neighborhoods, including the former Fein Brothers Building, which generates operating income for the philanthropic mission. Investment strategy centers on the Dohmen Impact Investment Fund, which deploys capital directly into social enterprises with proven food-as-medicine solutions. The foundation participates in direct program-related investments and operates the Food For Health program pilot in partnership with the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit health insurer. Sectors targeted include medically tailored meal delivery and food prescription platforms—solutions that sit at the intersection of healthcare services and food technology. Geographic concentration remains anchored in Wisconsin, with operational reach into the Great Lakes region. The foundation maintains a lean executive team. President and CEO Rachel Roller runs day-to-day operations, while CFO and CIO Michael Italiano manages the Impact Investment Fund. Board directors include Dohmen family members Ted and Ilsa Dohmen alongside former Baptista's Bakery owner Nanette Gardetto. Multiple senior leaders, including Roller and LaConte, hold membership in YPO and TEMPO Milwaukee, reflecting an executive posture that pairs philanthropic grant-making with regional business-network engagement. The foundation also incubates a real-estate arm through its portfolio of three Milwaukee commercial properties held for mission-driven income. What distinguishes this structure is the decision to convert a 160-year-old for-profit operating company into the corpus of a health-focused private foundation—a maneuver more common in European family enterprises than among American industrial legacies. The foundation owns the underlying real estate and operating-company proceeds outright, eschewing the typical endowment model of third-party fund commitments in favor of direct program deployment and impact-first investments managed by an in-house CIO.

## Sectors

- Digital Health
- AgriTech & FoodTech
- Healthcare Services

## People

- Cynthia LaConte — Founder and Chairman
- Rachel Roller — President and CEO
- Michael Italiano — CFO and CIO
- Nanette Gardetto — Director and Secretary
- Ted Dohmen — Director and Chairman
- Ilsa Dohmen — Director

## Questions

### How did the Dohmen Company Foundation convert from a for-profit business?

In 2019, CEO Cynthia LaConte led the conversion of The Dohmen Company, a wholesale drug distributor founded in 1858, from an S-Corporation into a foundation-owned philanthropic enterprise. The operating company's assets and real estate formed the corpus of the reborn private foundation. This effectively traded for-profit distributions for a permanent charitable mission focused on ending diet-related illness.

### Who runs investment decisions at the Dohmen Company Foundation?

CFO and CIO Michael Italiano oversees the Dohmen Impact Investment Fund, which makes direct program-related and mission-aligned investments in food-as-medicine ventures. Italiano reports to CEO Rachel Roller and Chairman Cynthia LaConte. The foundation does not publicly disclose an investment committee, but board directors including family members Ted and Ilsa Dohmen hold governance authority over significant allocations.

### Does the foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The foundation operates through direct investments and pilot partnerships rather than fund-of-fund commitments. The Food For Health program, launched with the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative, exemplifies this posture—the foundation co-designs the program rather than simply writing a grant or buying a fund interest. Its real estate holdings also serve as a direct income-producing asset base.

### How is the foundation's real estate portfolio connected to the mission?

The foundation owns at least three Milwaukee commercial properties, including the former Fein Brothers Building and properties in the Historic Third Ward. Rental income from these assets flows into the foundation's operating budget, creating a self-sustaining income stream that reduces reliance on outside fundraising and allows the Impact Investment Fund to take longer-duration positions.

## Related profiles

- [Community Foundation of St. Clair County](https://altss.com/profile/community-foundation-of-st-clair-county)
- [Garnet Health](https://altss.com/profile/garnet-health)

---

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

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/dohmen-company-foundation-inc

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology