Alfonso Wenker
Vice President of Community Impact
Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

“Saint Paul is my hometown and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation has been a throughline resource across my life and career from funding youth programs I was in, to grants that funded several of my roles, to recognizing my anti-racism activism with a Facing Race Award. The Foundation is part of my story and now I get a chance to keep that story going to pay that forward.”

Alfonso Tomás Wenker (he/him) is a seasoned social sector strategist with deep experience in racial equity, community philanthropy, and organizational development. His work is to ensure the Foundation's community impact grants and programs are informed by and responsive to our communities in partnership with our community impact team. He also gets to work across the executive leadership team to think with his peers about how the Foundation uses their voices and resources to advance community-defined solutions.
Alfonso began his career as a student organizer working on LGBTQ+ inclusion across Minnesota’s private colleges. Born and raised on the West Side of Saint Paul, Alfonso is deeply committed to resourcing leaders across communities to build thriving and equitable communities. Alfonso has served as a philanthropic leader through his roles at the Bush Foundation, PFund Foundation, Minnesota Council on Foundations and the Trillium Family Foundation board of directors.
Alfonso has been recognized by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a 40 under 40 leader, Lavender Magazine with LGBTQ leader award, and by the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation with a Facing Race Award. Alfonso lives with his partner David and outside of work enjoys trying out new recipes, singing in a very amateur cabaret group and spending summer weekends on the pontoon.