Grand Valley announces publication of new philanthropy journal

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.— The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University announces a new peer-reviewed journal for philanthropy, The Foundation Review.

“The field of philanthropy has grown increasingly professionalized over the past 20 years,” said Kathy Agard, executive director of the Johnson Center. “The time is now ripe to take another step in the development of the field by launching a journal devoted specifically to improving foundation philanthropy. We believe a peer-reviewed journal can help build the field’s knowledge base on both the science and the art of philanthropy.”

Joel J. Orosz, founding director of The Grantmaking School and distinguished professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Johnson Center, sees The Foundation Review as “a practical tool for the thoughtful philanthropist and philanthropic professional. We want this to be the ‘journal of record’ for the field, rigorous and impartial, but accessible in style and written for practitioners.”

The editor-in-chief is Teresa Behrens, the former director of evaluation for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Behrens is a loaned executive to Grand Valley, helping launch The Foundation Review.  The W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, has also provided a planning grant to help develop the business plan.

Behrens said The Foundation Review will be a quarterly journal, with each year emphasizing an overall theme and each issue focused on a particular topic within that theme. The theme for the first year is “community change.” The first issue will concentrate on comprehensive community initiatives; publication is slated for late 2008.

“Learning more about what is happening in the arena of social change — what works and what doesn’t — is one of the best ways to improve our effectiveness,” said Jim McHale, Kellogg Foundation senior vice president for programs. “There is a real hunger for learning from the experiences of others, yet there have been few mechanisms to promote that exchange of information. In keeping with our mission of encouraging the practical application of knowledge, we welcome the opportunity to support the launch of this important publication.”

BACKGROUND:
The Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership began in 1992 as a multidisciplinary, university-wide center developed with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Grand Valley State University. In 1999, the center was renamed in honor of Dorothy A. Johnson’s superb contributions to the growth and development of Michigan’s philanthropic and nonprofit sectors since the early 1970s.

The Johnson Center’s divisions are the Nonprofit Leadership Institute, the Community Research Institute and The Grantmaking School. The center continues to be an asset to the Grand Valley State University community through its Faculty Service Learning Grants, the Dorothy A. Johnson Library and Archives Collection, and partnerships with the School of Public and Nonprofit Administration and the Community Service Learning Center.

Grand Valley State University, established in 1960, is a four-year public university. It attracts more than 23,000 students with its high quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley provides a fully accredited undergraduate and graduate liberal 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 26 graduate degree programs. The university is dedicated to individual student achievement, going beyond the traditional classroom experience, with research opportunities and business partnerships. Grand Valley employs more than 1,750 people and is committed to providing a fair and equitable environment for the continued success of all.

For more information, contact Teri Behrens at [email protected] or (734) 646-2874.