Wilder began with a clear vision: to care for our community. Since the early 1900s, we’ve grown alongside Saint Paul, responding to changing needs with compassion and purpose. What started as a charitable trust is now a shared effort to support well-being across generations.
Wilder is named after Amherst H. Wilder (1828–1894), a successful businessman who left a trust in his will to “relieve, aid and assist the poor, sick and needy people of the city of Saint Paul.” This trust led to the creation of the Amherst H. Wilder Charity, which made its first gift in 1906 to support a local family in need.
After the deaths of Wilder’s wife, Fanny, and daughter, Cornelia, in 1903, additional funds from their estates established two more Wilder charitable organizations. In 1910, the Minnesota Legislature approved the merger of all three into a single organization: the Amherst H. Wilder Charity, with a combined endowment of $2.6 million.
In 1953, the organization’s name was changed to the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. Since its beginning, Wilder has continued to evolve, offering services and support that respond to the changing needs of the Greater Saint Paul community.
The Wilder Foundation—an organization more than a century old—has an identity and history linked to Minnesota’s past, along with many other organizations that have served our community. As we seek to create the world we want to be part of, it is important to understand how the organization’s origins, history, and role in community inform our work and relationships today.
The following report was commissioned to better understand the critical influences of 19th century history upon the roots of our organization from an equity lens. The report documents key historical events in Minnesota’s history, and outlines how Amherst H. Wilder and other wealthy industrialists accumulated wealth in the late 19th century through industries such as railroads, lumber, cattle, banking, construction, government contracting, and land speculation. The report examines the effect of these colonial industries—and Wilder’s businesses specifically—on Indigenous people and highlights, when possible, the dependence of such industries on laborers who were enslaved or oppressed.
As an organization and as individuals, we acknowledge that Amherst Wilder participated in, and benefitted from, a system of institutional racism. We take responsibility for our organization’s history, and understand that we are active participants in shaping the future of this organization.
Sharing this report is an important step toward strengthening relationships and establishing trust that will help us work in partnership toward a future where all people have opportunities to thrive. In the coming months we will determine how this report can inform our actions to advance equity within our organization and throughout the community.
Our Executive Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and staff throughout the organization will support our ongoing journey toward equity. We hope that the community will continue to engage with us on this journey of discovery, reflection, healing and co-creation of our future.
© 2025 Wilder Foundation
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