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History 
William A Wieboldt, a German immigrant, was born March 8, 1857 on a farm in Altenbruch, Cuxhaven, Germany. William’s aunt and uncle lived in Chicago. They came to visit him as a child, saw how smart he was, and realized there was no future for him in Germany. When William was 14, it was decided he would move to the U.S to stay with his aunt and uncle, and work in their dry goods store.
Anna Krueger came to America from Strehlow-Hagen, Germany with her family in 1865 at the age of eight. She ended-up working in the same store; becoming head of the women’s department. It was several years before they started seeing each other outside of work; but they were married on March 25, 1883 and opened their own store eight days later. Anna continued working in the store until their third child was born in 1890. Because of their hard work, good fortune, and the experience that his uncle had given William; they quickly expanded to seven stores in Chicago neighborhoods.
At its peak in 1910, Wieboldt’s original department store employed at least 700 people, expanded to 15 Chicago-area locations, and brought in $3 million in sales annually. When the Wieboldt’s established their foundation, their aim was to help “charities designed to put an end to the need for charity.” Today, the foundation supports organizations that work to support and transform Chicago’s low-income neighborhoods with an emphasis on empowerment and accountability.
Within its mandate of supporting low-income neighborhoods, Wieboldt prioritizes organizations and projects that increase the engagement of residents in civic processes and problem solving. Leadership development and the development of local organizations that increase communities’ capacity are also prioritized. Recent grantees have included organizations working in the areas of homelessness and housing, immigrants’ rights, elderly advocacy, education and civic engagement.
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