NET WORTH: Unknown
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Harris Associates
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Arts & Culture, Policy
OVERVIEW: David Herro conducts his philanthropy through the David Herro Charitable Foundation, which focuses on the Chicago area. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded just over $6.3 million in grants in 2018. Herro is a strong backer of Catholic schools. He and his partner Jay Franke are major patrons of the arts, particularly dance.
BACKGROUND: David Herro grew up in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin at Platteville, and then worked for Hormel. Herro also received an MA from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1985 and took a job starting and managing an international stock fund with Principal Financial Group. He took a similar position at The State of Wisconsin Investment Board. In the early 1990s, Herro joined Harris Associates, where he is partner and CIO of international equity.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Herro comes from a humble background and attended Catholic school. One of the focuses of his philanthropy is education, particularly Catholic education. Herro supports a scholarship named after his father at St. Mary’s Springs High School in Wisconsin. Most of Herro's other work takes places in Chicago: he has shown a lot of support for Big Shoulders Fund, which works in inner-city Chicago. Other grantees include LEARN Charter School Network, Holy Trinity High School, Chicago High School for the Arts, Educators for Excellence, and John T. McCutcheon Elementary School.
ARTS & CULTURE: In 2007, Herro helped launch Chicago Dancing Festival, which ran annually until 2016. His longtime partner, dancer Jay Franke, was the festival's artistic director. Herro has also supported Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and Music and Dance Theater Chicago.
POLICY: Herro has described himself as libertarian, and has supported American Enterprise Institute, Heartland Institute, and Better Government Association via his foundation.
OTHER: Herro has shown an interest in diabetes and has supported University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center. He has given money to A Better Chicago, which "enables people and companies who are passionate about our community to invest in a group of extraordinary nonprofits that are creating opportunity for our region's low-income population," and WINGS Program which "provides a pathway to independence for adults and children who are escaping from domestic violence and abuse."
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect Herro to stick with his select interest areas, with a continued eye towards Chicagoland.
CONTACT:
David Herro Charitable Foundation
800 S. Pointe Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(312) 587-0408