"Few institutions in American life are so vitally important, and so poorly understood, as family foundations," said Joel J. Orosz, interim executive director of the Johnson Center. "The Frey Foundation's bold gift will allow the Johnson Center to identify their keys to success, and most importantly, to find ways to enhance their beneficial impact upon society."
The Frey Foundation has made its pledge as a challenge to help the university raise $5 million in endowment for the Johnson Center. The university's campaign for the center has raised $3.5 million toward this goal. To meet this challenge, the university will need to raise the remaining $1.5 million.
In many American communities, family foundations define and enhance the quality of human life. More than 32,000 family foundations provide critical assistance to America's 1.2 million nonprofit organizations, supporting their programs in health care, education, human services, religion, arts and culture, and the environment. In 2003, the top 50 family foundations in Michigan awarded more than $885 million in grants. This represents 74 percent of the $1.2 billion given by all types of Michigan foundations in 2003.
A distinguished scholar-practitioner will be selected as the new Frey Foundation chair. That person will take the lead on this innovative program, which will research family foundation formation and grantmaking practices, and teach effective operating techniques to family foundation trustees.
"We believe the Johnson Center holds the promise to be the premiere university center of its kind in the nation," said David Frey, chairman of the board of trustees of the Frey Foundation. "Exploring and understanding the role of private family foundations is critical to the Johnson Center's mission. This challenge grant from the Frey Foundation should do much to acknowledge and promote the increasing importance of family foundations in the realm of philanthropy. It is our hope that thoughtful and effective philanthropy will benefit from the skills and focus the new Frey chair can provide."
Relatively few universities have programs for the study of philanthropy and nonprofit leadership recognized by the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council. The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership is one of the oldest of these centers, having been founded in 1992, with major support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It is considered one of the top institutions in the nation for helping nonprofit organizations and foundations work more effectively through the use of best management practices and better access to research data.
This is the second fully endowed chair for Grand Valley State University announced this year. "These chairs signal Grand Valley's growing academic maturity and commitment to academic rigor and innovation," said Mark A. Murray, president of Grand Valley. *We applaud the Frey Foundation and the Frey family for their vision, leadership and generosity."
A nationwide search for the person to fill the Frey Foundation chair will commence as soon as possible. Orosz noted the position will require an unusual combination of skills and background (scholarship, family foundation experience, teaching ability and record of community service). Due to the unprecedented nature of the position, the center will look in a wide range of settings for the right candidate to launch this new field of study.
Grand Valley State University, established in 1960, is a four-year public university. It attracts more than 22,000 students with its high quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley provides a fully accredited liberal arts undergraduate and graduate education and has campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids, and Holland and centers in Muskegon and Traverse City. Grand Valley is the comprehensive regional university for the state's second largest metropolitan area and offers 69 undergraduate and 25 graduate degree programs.
The Frey Foundation, based in Grand Rapids, is one of Michigan's largest family foundations. Grants are provided primarily to nonprofit organizations in western Michigan for projects to enhance children's development, protect natural resources, promote the arts and expand philanthropic and civic action. The Frey Foundation was established in 1972 and was permanently endowed in 1988 from the estate of the late Edward J. and Frances T. Frey.
For more information visit the following Web sites: www.gvsu.edu, www.johnsoncenter.org, www.freyfdn.org.
For interviews, contact GVSU's News and Information Services office at (616) 331-2221, and Milton Rohwer, Frey Foundation (616) 451-4561.
