Otto Bremer was interested in allowing all people opportunities to participate within their communities. This commitment lives on today through the work of the Foundation.

Over the years, Bremer’s bank investment made him the largest investor in bank stocks in the Midwest. Many of these investments were independent rural banks, “countryside banks” as he called them. His commitment to these institutions and to the surrounding communities was unwavering, as witnessed during the Depression of the 1930s when Bremer liquidated many of his personal assets to strengthen the countryside banks and help them ride out hard times.

Otto Bremer’s life experiences in the first half of the twentieth century shaped and directed the work of the Foundation since its inception in 1944. It was Bremer’s knowledge and concern for the strengths and hardships of the rural and immigrant experience, coupled with his commitment to his countryside banks that became the cornerstone of the Otto Bremer Foundation. In creating the Foundation, Bremer sought to insure the perpetuation of his the Bremer banks and the ultimate return of his personal wealth to his “family” of communities.   

Since its early days, the Foundation has changed from a small trustee-run organization with an informal granting process, to a professionally-staffed organization with funding guidelines, simple processes and procedures. The monies available for granting and the number of requests awarded annually have risen exponentially over the decades. Through all the years however, the work of the Foundation continues to reflect the expressed interests and concerns of Otto Bremer. In reflecting on his life, it is apparent that he was interested in allowing all people opportunities to participate within their communities. This commitment lives on today through the work of the Foundation.

With an explicit outline of his wishes captured in a Trust Agreement and by his personal example of taking bold action when others held back, Otto Bremer’s vision and spirit continue to grow through the Foundation’s investment and partnership with the people and nonprofit organizations in the region.