KRESGE FOUNDATION

Contact information:
3215 West Big Beaver Road
Troy, Michigan 48084
Telephone: 248-643-9630
Fax: 248-643-0588

Website: www.kresge.org  

Type of foundation: Independent

Types of grants: Operating, capital, project, program-related investments

Description: In 1924, Sebastian Spering Kresge established the foundation that bears his name for the “promotion of human progress.” For more than 80 years, the foundation focused on capital projects. In 2007, the foundation began a “historic transition” in its grantmaking, shifting to focus on non-capital grants to nonprofit organizations that serve poor, disadvantaged and disenfranchised individuals, families and communities. The foundation does still make some capital grants.

The Kresge Foundation currently awards grants in seven program areas: : Arts and Culture, Community Development, Detroit, Education, Environment, Health and Human Services. The foundation specifically seeks to partner with organizations committed to the needs of poor individuals and communities. All of Kresge’s work strives to “create access and opportunity in underserved communities.”

Foundation programs of the greatest interest to public media include:

Arts and Culture: Through this program, the foundation focuses on “helping communities use arts and culture to create healthy, vibrant places.” As of 2012, grantmaking will focus specifically on “creative placemaking” – integrating arts and culture into comprehensive community revitalization efforts. Creative placemaking refers to the belief that the arts can enliven and rejuvenate public and private spaces, improve the climate for local businesses, bring people together and contribute to creating more desirable places to live. (This new focus represents an integration of the three components of Kresge’s previous Arts and Culture Program: institutional capitalization, arts and community building, and artists’ skills and resources.) The foundation will make further information available about its future Arts and Culture grantmaking later in 2012. Until that time, applications will be accepted only by invitation.

Pathways to and through college: The foundation supports organizations and partnerships that work to help low-income and underrepresented students prepare for, enter and succeed in college. The foundation is interested in projects that have broad and meaningful impact beyond the boundaries of any one physical campus. Specific interest areas include:

• College readiness.
• Awareness of and access to financial aid.
• Research into and models for removing barriers to student success.
• Advocacy efforts for student success.
• Degree completion and attainment of family-supporting wages.

Sample grants: 

• $550,000 to Youth Radio in operating support (2012).
• $474,000 over three years to Detroit Public Television for public radio station WRCJ, the region’s only classical music outlet, for ongoing operations and growth plans (2009).
• $375,000 to WETA for broadcast of PBS NewsHour Health Unit (2010).
• $300,000 to Street Level Youth Media for renovation of a building to provide state-of-the-art digital-media facilities (2011).
• $250,000 to Link Media, Youth Noise Division for Youth Leaders Building Healthy Communities (2010).
• $250,000 to Media and Policy Center Foundation of California for Designing Healthy Communities Initiative (2010).
• $128,000 to Wayne State University - WDET for Community-Based Reporter and Public Insight Journalism Analyst (2010).
• $100,000 to KCTS Television toward planning for designing a green building (2009).
• $100,000 to Detroit Educational Television for general operating support for radio station WRCJ 90.9 FM (2010).

Fit for public broadcasting: Kresge has a significant history of providing challenge grants to public media outlets for facilities construction and/or renovation. The most likely fits for public media are now in the Arts and Culture and Education programs. The foundation is also a fit for public media serving Detroit.

Eligibility: No grants for debt retirement, projects that are already substantially completed or minor equipment purchases.

Deadline: Some grant programs have deadlines. Applicants should review open grant opportunities.

How to apply: The foundation typically uses a two-step application process beginning with an online letter of inquiry. If it is interested, the foundation will request a full proposal.

Giving range: $100,000 - $4,000,000

Assets: $3,100,000,000 (2010)

Total giving: $158,000,000 (2010)

View 2010-11 Annual Report here.