… [Read more...] about Why a Key Women’s Foundation Is Ramping Up Its Support in the Midwest
Midwest
Getting to Know the Adams Community Foundation’s Giving in Iowa
Iowa has a strong network of community foundations, with over 130 community funders in total. Among these grantmakers is the Adams Community Foundation (ACF), which tends to take a hyper-local approach to grantmaking centered on Corning, Iowa. To … [Read more...] about Getting to Know the Adams Community Foundation’s Giving in Iowa
Rising From the Ashes: A Consulting Firm’s Case for Optimism in the Motor City
It’s had a rough few decades, but once again, Detroit is a city on the rise. Known as the birthplace of Motown and for headquartering the “big three” automakers (General Motors, Chrysler and Ford), Detroit has faced a number of issues in recent … [Read more...] about Rising From the Ashes: A Consulting Firm’s Case for Optimism in the Motor City
A Conversation with Ric DeVore, CEO of the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan
Last February, Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan CEO Ric DeVore attended a convening of about 40 fellow community foundation CEOs from across the country in New Orleans. DeVore, who assumed the role in April 2022 after a career in the … [Read more...] about A Conversation with Ric DeVore, CEO of the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan
“It Is So Worth It.” How This Regional Funder Shares Power Through Partner-Led Grantmaking
In 1953, Minnesota couple Archibald and Edyth Bush established the Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Bush Foundation with the mission of supporting organizations and people in Minnesota, the Dakotas and 23 Native nations. The couple intentionally set up … [Read more...] about “It Is So Worth It.” How This Regional Funder Shares Power Through Partner-Led Grantmaking
This Michigan-Based Donor Advisor is Building a Firm Foundation for the Progressive Movement
There’s a nice anecdote behind how Ktisis Capital came by its name, which sheds some light on the way the advisory firm’s founder, Jason Franklin, approaches the work of guiding progressive donors and foundations. When Franklin was living in New York … [Read more...] about This Michigan-Based Donor Advisor is Building a Firm Foundation for the Progressive Movement
This Detroit-Based Funder Has Gone All-In on Trust-Based Practices to Advance Equity
The Transforming Power Fund (TPF) is a Detroit-based social justice grantmaker supporting nonprofits focused on community organizing in fields like economic justice, food insecurity and LGBT rights in Detroit and neighboring Hamtramck and Highland … [Read more...] about This Detroit-Based Funder Has Gone All-In on Trust-Based Practices to Advance Equity
Seven Questions for McKnight Foundation President Tonya Allen
McKnight Foundation President Tonya Allen spent the majority of her career in Michigan, including leading Detroit’s Skillman Foundation, before moving to take the helm of the $3 billion, Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation in 2021. We most recently … [Read more...] about Seven Questions for McKnight Foundation President Tonya Allen
Meet the Song Foundation: A Michigan Take on Silicon Valley Philanthropy
Tech philanthropy often carries a geographical association with the California Bay Area, and for good reason. But Silicon Valley isn’t the only place in the U.S. where some of the distinctive patterns of tech giving are showing up. Take the Song … [Read more...] about Meet the Song Foundation: A Michigan Take on Silicon Valley Philanthropy
A Cross-Sector Coalition Raises Nearly $1 Billion to Tackle Racial Wealth Inequality in the Twin Cities
With the 2020 police murder of George Floyd and the massive uprising that followed it, Minneapolis and its twin city St. Paul gained an association with systemic racism in the U.S. and the simmering rage that racism has inspired. Last month, a … [Read more...] about A Cross-Sector Coalition Raises Nearly $1 Billion to Tackle Racial Wealth Inequality in the Twin Cities
A Closer Look at the Philanthropy of First Wave Tech Billionaire John Morgridge and His Family
Looking back over the history of tech, we can group the industry’s most consequential philanthropists into a series of generational “waves” corresponding to transformational advancements in the sector. The first wave included givers who presided over … [Read more...] about A Closer Look at the Philanthropy of First Wave Tech Billionaire John Morgridge and His Family
Five Takeaways From IP’s New Report on Giving for Rural Communities
By and large, philanthropic funders in the U.S. tend to concentrate their support on urban parts of the country. To a certain degree, this makes sense: an overwhelming percentage of the nation's population resides in these areas — about 80%, per the … [Read more...] about Five Takeaways From IP’s New Report on Giving for Rural Communities
Funders Get Behind a New Plan for School-Based “Health Hubs” in Detroit
Schools in Detroit are kicking off the school year with something new: The district is creating “health hubs” to address student and community needs. The health hubs will offer free health, mental health and dental care for Detroit students; they … [Read more...] about Funders Get Behind a New Plan for School-Based “Health Hubs” in Detroit
This Megadonor’s Attempt to Curtail Ohio Voters’ Rights Is a Symptom of Our Larger Problem
An Illinois Republican megadonor with ties to efforts to attack unions and overturn the 2020 presidential election was reportedly also the main donor behind the unsuccessful effort to make it much harder for Ohioans to protect the right to abortion … [Read more...] about This Megadonor’s Attempt to Curtail Ohio Voters’ Rights Is a Symptom of Our Larger Problem
Is the Cleveland Foundation’s New Headquarters the Future of Place-Based Philanthropy?
Five years ago, Cleveland Foundation President and CEO Ronn Richard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lillian Kuri and other stakeholders began thinking about moving the institution out of the city’s Playhouse District, where it … [Read more...] about Is the Cleveland Foundation’s New Headquarters the Future of Place-Based Philanthropy?
This Billionaire Heiress and Her Husband Have a Huge Philanthropic Footprint in Their Hometown
In the unforthcoming world of mega-giving, where most foundations run by living donors don’t have a public website, much less a grants database, Form 990s are often the only surefire way to determine how and where the funding flows. Some folks find … [Read more...] about This Billionaire Heiress and Her Husband Have a Huge Philanthropic Footprint in Their Hometown
Nine Questions for Gloria Perez, CEO and President of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
As the country’s first statewide women’s foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary, Gloria Perez is entering her fourth year on the job as the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s (WFMN) president and chief executive officer. Born in San Antonio, … [Read more...] about Nine Questions for Gloria Perez, CEO and President of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
How the American Century Investments Foundation Supports Kansas City, Missouri
America Century Investments has been operating for over 60 years, has over 1,400 employees and conducts business from eight global offices. The company is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and has a charitable foundation that centers its grantmaking … [Read more...] about How the American Century Investments Foundation Supports Kansas City, Missouri
How One Funder Is Seeking to Bolster Mental Healthcare in Rural America
Despite progress in recent years, mental healthcare remains out of reach for many Americans. According to findings by Mental Health America (MHA), more than half of adults — 54.7% — with a mental illness are not receiving healthcare. About 42% of … [Read more...] about How One Funder Is Seeking to Bolster Mental Healthcare in Rural America
What It Looks Like When a Multigenerational Family Foundation Makes All Voices Equal
Therma-Tru Corporation was a family-owned business whose bread and butter was manufacturing exterior and entry doors. The Midwestern company traces its roots to the 1960s, when David Welles, a retired Owens Corning executive, purchased a bankrupt … [Read more...] about What It Looks Like When a Multigenerational Family Foundation Makes All Voices Equal
Here Are Five Grantmakers Funding the Rural Midwest
By and large, philanthropy tends to focus its grantmaking on urban parts of the United States. Rural America, on the other hand, receives only a paltry 7% of U.S. grantmaking, despite the fact that around 14% of the nation’s population lives in rural … [Read more...] about Here Are Five Grantmakers Funding the Rural Midwest
The Lilly Endowment’s Assets Are Surging, Making it Among the Nation’s Largest. Can It Keep Up?
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on March 16, 2023.Founded in 1937, the Lilly Endowment has spent a long time at the peak of American philanthropy. New generations of ultra-rich donors — Gates, Bloomberg, Soros, etc. — have … [Read more...] about The Lilly Endowment’s Assets Are Surging, Making it Among the Nation’s Largest. Can It Keep Up?
This Foundation Keeps a Huge Extended Family United While Helping Other Families Thrive
I first heard about Cleveland-based William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation in an unusual way. I was on a solo road trip from Texas to L.A. and nearly ran out of gas in the desert, when a service station arose from the dirt and tumbleweeds like … [Read more...] about This Foundation Keeps a Huge Extended Family United While Helping Other Families Thrive
Backed by a Huge Bequest, a New Arts Funder’s Grantmaking Strategy Begins to Takes Shape
Back in June, the Ruth Foundation for the Arts appeared out of nowhere to drop its inaugural round of funding — $1.25 million in unrestricted support across 78 arts groups through its Artist Choice Grants program. The foundation was seeded with a … [Read more...] about Backed by a Huge Bequest, a New Arts Funder’s Grantmaking Strategy Begins to Takes Shape
“You Are Worthy; Let’s Go.” A Racial Justice Fund in St. Louis Plans a 100-Year Commitment to Change
When Inside Philanthropy first reported on the St. Louis Racial Healing + Justice Fund last year, the initiative was a pilot program with an expected shelf life of three years.Those days are over. The entire point of the fund, said Deaconess … [Read more...] about “You Are Worthy; Let’s Go.” A Racial Justice Fund in St. Louis Plans a 100-Year Commitment to Change
How This Dedicated Cleveland Funder Is Backing the City’s Cultural Institutions
Earlier this year, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation announced a $3 million grant to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to support the development of a new community space and to provide free admission every Sunday to residents.The … [Read more...] about How This Dedicated Cleveland Funder Is Backing the City’s Cultural Institutions
Five Things to Know About the Skillman Foundation, “Fierce Champions of Detroit’s Children”
The Skillman Foundation’s tagline sums up its mission: “Fierce champions of Detroit’s children.”Skillman isn’t as well known as some of the major funders it works alongside in Detroit; the city has been a priority for some of the largest … [Read more...] about Five Things to Know About the Skillman Foundation, “Fierce Champions of Detroit’s Children”
Critical Funding Gaps in Criminal Justice Reform Hit the South and Midwest Hardest
If confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first former public defender to serve on the Supreme Court. That fact is remarkable, considering just how many people each day are impacted by our criminal legal system. Here are some sobering … [Read more...] about Critical Funding Gaps in Criminal Justice Reform Hit the South and Midwest Hardest
Who’s Getting the Latest Checks from Lukas Walton’s Green Grantmaking Shop?
Last October, Lukas Walton broke new ground for America’s richest family, becoming the first of the third-generation heirs to the Walmart fortune to launch a substantial public profile for his then-$1.2 billion foundation, Builders Initiative, and … [Read more...] about Who’s Getting the Latest Checks from Lukas Walton’s Green Grantmaking Shop?
Seven Questions for Ronn Richard, President and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation
Ronn Richard sits at the helm of the Cleveland Foundation, which has $3.2 billion in assets and disburses over $115 million annually to nonprofits in the Greater Cleveland region. Launched in 1914, it’s the oldest community foundation in the United … [Read more...] about Seven Questions for Ronn Richard, President and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation
