Alfred Kobacker and Elizabeth Trimbach believe that philanthropy works best when it is focused. Rather than distributing grants broadly, they concentrate their giving on a small number of exceptional individuals doing work that matters, at the moment when resources can make a real difference.

Through the Alfred Kobacker and Elizabeth Trimbach Fund, a donor-advised fund at The Columbus Foundation, they give directly to people rather than institutions. They identify individuals of unusual talent and commitment, ask what they need, and follow through.

Since 2021, the Fund has deployed over $3 million in grants, with major commitments to marine biologist Callie Veelenturf's work advancing the legal rights of nature through the National Geographic Society, and to journalist and filmmaker Paul Jay's documentary on the threat of nuclear war.

The Fund has also supported writer Jessica Wildfire, whose work examines public health, economic precarity, and institutional decline with honesty and clarity. Her current project is an illustrated guide to homesteading and preparedness for people navigating an uncertain world. It is the kind of work Alfred and Elizabeth are drawn to: substantive, independent, and reaching people who need it.

The three commitments are different in subject and scope, but they share a common thread. Each represents a person of genuine ability doing work they believe in, supported at a moment when it counts.