History
Wessinger Foundation History
Henry Weinhard established the Weinhard Brewery in 1856. After a merger in 1928, the name was changed to the Blitz-Weinhard Brewery. The Brewery remained family-owned until it was sold in 1979. Mr. Weinhard’s great grandsons, William and Frederic Wessinger, shared in heading the company until it was sold. Funds available from the sale of the brewery were used to create a small family foundation.
William and Frederic Wessinger led the Foundation Board in its earliest years, joined by community colleagues Don C. Frisbee, John C. Hampton, and Thomas B. Stoel. Early grants funded social services in the lower Burnside Street area around the brewery site, and education and arts stability for the community. Children of the founding family members have joined the Board, adding their special community interests to the heritage of their family’s philanthropy. The Foundation has awarded more than $8.5 million dollars in its 27 years of grantmaking.