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The Kresge Foundation announced fourth quarter grants that reflect a key transition point in the Foundation’s approach to grantmaking.

The Kresge Foundation has become known for capital challenge grants to nonprofit organizations at the midpoint of a facility construction or renovation campaign as a means of enhancing nonprofit capacity. This approach was rooted in an assessment of an organization’s financial fitness and its intention and ability to expand individual donor support during the course of a campaign.

The Foundation’s fourth quarter grants continue the tradition of capital grantmaking, but introduce into the Foundation’s analysis the dimension of inquiring into the organization’s mission, the broader community impact of its proposed project, and the broader trends at work within a field.

“We are looking more directly and systematically to inject values considerations into our deliberations,” said Rip Rapson, president and CEO of the Foundation. “But we stand at the very early stages of determining exactly what values are important and how we might apply them – whether opening opportunity to low-income people, generating community impact beyond the discrete project, modeling innovation within a field, promoting collaboration, or any number of other possibilities.”

“We are also exploring how best to supplement our bricks and mortar emphasis to best contribute to nonprofit capacity,” Rapson continued. “A number of our special funding initiatives – Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Green Buildings, and Detroit – have suggested powerfully that nonprofits may value other forms of support even more than capital support and that even our capital support might be more helpful if offered earlier in the campaign process, in slightly different forms, or with a reduced emphasis on predetermined rules and guidelines.”

“The Fourth Quarter grants are a small step toward reorienting our grantmaking in this direction. Many of the projects we’ve funded this quarter seek to expand low-income people’s access to critical services. Others contribute significantly to a community’s efforts to revitalize areas suffering from disinvestment. Others still are attempting to move an institution to a higher level of effectiveness through innovation, collaboration, or risk-taking.”

The Kresge Foundation was established in 1924 by Sebastian S. Kresge to promote human progress. Headquartered just outside of Detroit, Michigan, the Foundation had 2006 year-end assets of $3.3 billion and awarded approximately $150 million in grants in 2006 to organizations in the United States, Great Britain, South Africa, and Mexico.

The Kresge Foundation Fourth Quarter Grants 2006

American Cancer Society Pennsylvania Division, Inc. Hershey, PA $1,000,000 Toward the construction of a Hope Lodge.

Amherst H. Wilder Foundation Saint Paul, MN $750,000 Toward the construction of a new headquarters facility.

Appalachian Mountain Club Boston, MA $1,500,000 Toward the purchase of 37,000 acres of land for the Maine Woods Initiative.

Audubon Arizona Phoenix, AZ $350,000 Toward the construction of the Rio Salada Audubon Center.

Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, Brooklyn, NY $75,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Discovery Center Museum, Rockford, IL $850,000 Toward the construction of an exhibit hall.

Cape Cod Free Clinic and Community Health Center, Mashpee, MA $500,000 Toward the construction of a replacement primary care facility.

Central Virginia Foodbank, Richmond, VA $500,000 Toward the construction of a replacement community kitchen and improvements to the warehouse.

Chicago Park District, Chicago, IL $500,000 Toward the construction of a photosynthesis exhibit.

Citizens Research Council of Michigan, Livonia, MI $1,000,000 Toward operating and program support and endowment.

Coalition for the Homeless, New York, NY $2,000,000 Toward the renovation of a facility for use as the Downtown Center for Non-Profits.

Community Servings, Inc., Roxbury, MA $400,000 Toward the renovation of a former warehouse into a replacement headquarters facility.

Council on Foundations, Washington, DC $250,000 Toward support of the Council’s International Program, President’s Leadership Fund and Inclusiveness Initiatives.

Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Inc., Detroit, MI $6,500,000 Toward the construction and endowment of the Detroit East Riverwalk.

Equiterre, Montreal, Quebec $75,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Fellowship Place, Inc., New Haven, CT $40,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

The Foundation Center, New York, NY $1,300,000 To support a reserve fund to assist with the implementation of their 2006-2008 strategic plan.

The Gathering Place, Denver, CO $300,000 Toward the construction of new multi-service facility.

Girl Scouts, San Diego – Imperial Council, Inc., San Diego, CA $500,000 Toward the construction of The Education and Training Pavilion.

Grand Rapids Ballet Company, Grand Rapids, MI $400,000 Toward the expansion of the current facility.

Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado, Grand Junction, CO $500,000 Toward the construction of an inpatient hospice in Grand Junction.

Hostelling International Eastern New England Council, Somerville, MA $50,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID $25,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Independent Sector, Washington, DC $250,000 To support the first year of two and three-year Communications, Policy and Ethics/Accountability Initiatives.

Iowa State University, Ames, IA $50,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, NY $750,000 Toward the purchase of property and construction of a film/media lab.

John Brown University, Siloam Springs, AR $1,000,000 Toward the renovation of three historic buildings on campus.

Kaufman Center, New York, NY $600,000 Toward the renovation of Merkin Concert Hall.

Living Cities, Inc.: The National Community Development Initiative, New York, NY $2,000,000 Toward support of the Living Cities Strategic Plan Goals.

Low Income Housing Institute, Seattle, WA $60,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Lower Bucks Family YMCA, Fairless Hills, PA $70,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA $1,000,000 Toward the construction of a replacement library.

MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis, MN $600,000 Toward the site purchase and construction of a replacement facility.

The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum, St. Louis, MO $750,000 Toward the purchase of property and the renovation and expansion of facilities.

Michigan Nature Association, Williamston, MI $225,000 Toward the conservation purchase of the Martin Bay Sanctuary.

Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS $1,000,000 Toward the renovation of a replacement museum.

Mothers’ Club Community Center, Pasadena, CA $500,000 Toward the renovation and expansion of a facility for use by the center.

Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME $55,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA $1,000,000 Toward the renovation of the Chalon Campus classrooms and Aging Research Laboratory.

National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalaheo, HI $900,000 Toward the construction of a botanical research center.

The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN $1,000,000 Toward the purchase of property and conservation easement.

Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, New Haven, CT $30,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Piedmont Park Conservancy, Inc., Atlanta, GA $100,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Planned Parenthood of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN $750,000 Toward the purchase of property for the Georgetown-Indianapolis site and renovation of South Bend (St. Joe County) site.

Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, Inc., Sarasota, FL $750,000 Toward the site purchase and construction of a replacement HQ facility with clinic and education center.

St. John Health System, Detroit, MI $1,000,000 Toward the renovation and expansion of the Emergency Department.

Saint Joseph’s College, Rensselaer, IN $750,000 Toward the construction of athletic and residential facilities.

Seattle Aquarium Society, Seattle, WA $800,000 Toward the expansion of the aquarium.

Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Shawnee Mission, KS $750,000 Toward the expansion of the medical center.

Sojourner Center, Phoenix, AZ $250,000 Toward the construction and expansion of the current facility.

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc., Roanoke, VA $70,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Inc., Tulsa, OK $400,000 Toward the renovation of the main facility.

University of La Verne, La Verne, CA $600,000 Toward the construction of a campus center.

Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Richmond, VA $250,000 Toward the Phase 2 renovation of a new main facility.

YMCA of Central New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM $175,000 Toward the renovation of the Heights and Morningside branches.

YMCA of the Blue Water Area, Port Huron, MI $800,000 Toward construction of YMCA facility.

YMCA of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA $60,000 Toward planning costs associated with designing a green building.

Youth Alternatives, Inc., Portland, MA $250,000 Toward the site acquisition and construction of the Family Center program and administration campus.

YWCA Central Carolinas, Charlotte, NC $500,000 Toward the construction of 11 family transitional townhouses.