Johnson Center Campaign establishes nation's first Endowed Chair for Family Foundations

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — By reaching its $5 million fundraising goal, the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University has accomplished two firsts: it formally established the nation's first endowed chair focusing on family philanthropy, and successfully completed its largest endowment campaign. Both the chair and the endowment will support the Johnson Center’s work in increasing the effectiveness of grantmakers and the nonprofit sector in Michigan and nationally. 

Recognizing that family foundations pump some $14 billion into the economy each year, the Johnson Center will establish a permanent chair to harness more effectively the tremendous power of the 36,700 charitable family foundations in the United States. The chair was made possible thanks to a $1.5 million challenge from the Frey Foundation, which the Johnson Center has now met by completing its fundraising campaign.

The Center has launched a national search for the professor or nonprofit leader to fill the Frey Foundation Chair in Family Foundations and Philanthropy. A distinguished scholar-practitioner will be selected to take the lead in this innovative position, which will research family foundation formation, investment management, and grantmaking practices. It will also teach effective operating techniques to family foundation trustees, to help ensure that grant dollars have the maximum impact for the communities they benefit. The search begins immediately; the Johnson Center hopes to fill the position by September, 2008.

“The number of family foundations increased 22.3 percent between 2001 and 2005, according to the Foundation Center,” said Milt Rohwer, president of the Frey Foundation. “Since the $1.5 million challenge to the Johnson Center was announced in April 2006, more than 4,000 new family foundations have been created. This only emphasizes their importance and their potential impact on the nonprofits that serve so many public needs.”

In many American communities, family foundations define and enhance the quality of life. There are 36,700 family foundations providing critical assistance to America’s 1.5 million nonprofit organizations, supporting their programs in health care, education, human services, religion, arts and culture and the environment. In Michigan, the top 50 family foundations awarded more than $813 million in grants during 2006. This represents 58 percent of the $1.4 billion given by all types of Michigan foundations in that year.   

“We applaud the Frey Foundation for its gift and for recognizing the Johnson Center’s impact, in the present and the future. The campaign’s success reflects the Johnson’s Center’s extraordinary potential, which prompted our own support,” said Margaret Ann (Ranny) Riecker, campaign co-chair and president of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation in Midland, Michigan. The Dow Foundation gave $1 million to launch the campaign in May, 2005.

“Ranny and I co-chaired this campaign because of what’s at stake for nonprofits and foundations. They both stand to benefit greatly from the kind of lessons this chair and the Johnson Center can provide,” said David G. Frey, chairman of the Frey Foundation. 

The Johnson Center is viewed as among the top three academic centers devoted to philanthropy in the nation, along with Arizona State and Indiana University. Aside from its reputation in the academic and philanthropic arena, it has the second largest staff and operating budget, along with the third largest endowment among 15 similar academic centers.

“This endowment will be a much-needed cornerstone for all that the Johnson Center can do,” said Dorothy A. Johnson, campaign committee member and former Council of Michigan Foundations leader for whom the Center is named.

“We thank David Frey and Ranny Riecker for providing their leadership in this effort,” said Thomas J. Haas, president of Grand Valley State University. “This campaign gave us many ‘first’ to celebrate, particularly the Frey Chair. We hope it becomes a prototype for similar commitments at other institutions that will assist the nonprofit sector.”

In addition to establishing the first in the nation (and world) endowed chair for family foundations, the Growing Greater Good endowment campaign:

• Brought Grand Valley its first gift from a foundation outside of the United States, the Noaber Foundation of the Netherlands.

• Provided the leverage to raise the Johnson Center’s profile from being among the top five academic centers for the study of philanthropy, volunteerism, and nonprofit management in the nation to being one of the top three. 

The University and the Johnson Center especially wish to acknowledge these campaign committee members:

• Dorothy and Martin Johnson (Grand Haven, MI) for their leadership gift.
• Jim and Donna Brooks (Holland, MI) for their gift which completed the campaign.  

Additional thanks go to the many foundations and individuals from across Michigan who generously gave to ensure and support the Johnson Center mission to promote effective philanthropy, community improvement and excellence in nonprofit leadership.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTIONS
The Frey Foundation, based in Grand Rapids, is one of Michigan's largest family foundations. Grants are provided to nonprofit organizations primarily in western Michigan for programs and initiatives to enhance children's development, protect natural resources, promote the arts and expand philanthropic and civic action. The Frey Foundation was established in 1974 and was permanently endowed in 1988 from the estate of the late Edward J. and Frances T. Frey.

Grand Valley State University attracts more than 23,000 students with high-quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley is the comprehensive regional university for Michigan’s second largest metropolitan area and offers 69 undergraduate and 26 graduate degree programs. It has campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids, and Holland and centers in Muskegon and Traverse City. The university is dedicated to individual student achievement, going beyond the traditional classroom experience, with research opportunities and business partnerships.

For more information visit the following Web sites: www.gvsu.edu, www.johnsoncenter.org, www.freyfdn.org/

For interviews, contact Grand Valley’s News and Information Services office at (616) 331-2221, and Milton Rohwer, Frey Foundation (616) 451-4561.