Outstanding Foundation
Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation
Co-nominated by the Alzheimer’s Association Michigan Chapter and Playworks Michigan WHEN BUFFALO BILLS owner and Detroit native Ralph C. Wilson Jr. died in 2014, he left clear instructions for his trust: He wanted to pour $1.2 billion into southeast Michigan and western New York by 2035. Since 2015, his namesake Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation has devoted $533 million toward that goal. (And all that giving hasn’t made a dent in the foundation’s resources, according to CEO David Egner — the booming stock market means it still has more than $1.35 billion to give away.) The foundation’s grants support initiatives for youth sports, caregivers of aging family members, economic development, and entrepreneurship, to name a few, and include such major projects as the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park along the Detroit riverfront. Hour Detroit spoke with Egner about the foundation’s work.
How has the foundation’s vision evolved since launching in 2015? The pillars of giv-
ing and the statement of our values, that hasn’t really changed. What has changed is the strategy and the tools have become more refined, particularly moving closer with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Working in 2015 there was no staff — just four trustees — and our internal operations have matured, so we have a grants management team.
What is one achievement you are most proud of ? Generator Z is an after-school pro-
gram that we launched during COVID. The secret sauce is we invited 1,000 teenagers to staff it and paid them $1,000 each to share with us their ideas and stories and to judge applications that came in from nonprofit after-school programs. We’ve approved $4 million in grants, and it’s all from the voice of teens — instead of what the adults think teens want.
Is there anything you think people might be surprised to learn about the foundation? We’re moving on average $100 million to
$110 million a year, and a typical foundation moving that much would have 50 to 60 people on staff. We’re dealing with a staff of 28, so we have to work really closely with our grantees and intermediaries, like Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. We are always asking the question of sustainability: How do we sustain the work? Because in 2035, we’re out of business.
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George W. Romney Award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteerism
Jim Kelly
Nominated by Cranbrook Educational Community IT WAS A SLEEK ART DECO house in Grosse Pointe Farms that opened the doors for Jim Kelly to pour his time and talents into the Cranbrook Educational Community. Kelly and his wife, Mariam Noland, moved to Detroit in 1985 and purchased the Koebel House, which was designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen. Eliel was Cranbrook’s first resident architect, and Eero, his son, was the mastermind behind such striking architectural pieces as the famous arch in Kelly’s hometown of St. Louis. “I went out there to learn about the Saarinens, and it got me involved,” Kelly says. He started volunteering at Cranbrook, first with the art museum, then chairing its board, and later becoming a Cranbrook trustee and a life governor at the art academy, which are just some of the ways he’s supported the institution over the years. Education has long been a passion for Kelly, 87, who started off as a high school teacher. His career took him not only across the country, but even as far as Pakistan’s Punjab University. While enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Stanford, Kelly discovered a new path. “I realized that my real interest lay in how to change and improve education systems nationwide, not the local school district,” he says. That eventually led to him to found the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which he led until 1999, and he has also invested much of his time in a number of education-focused organizations over the years. He’s also passionate about ensuring that the next generation learns the importance of volunteering. “Kids growing up in America right now have no appreciation for the nonprofit world in real life,” Kelly says. That was the impetus behind Learning to Give, a nonprofit he founded that develops materials and curriculum for teachers to help their students learn about all the ways charitable contributions — whether it be time, talents, or money — and nonprofits shape America. Awards like those given by the Association of Fundraising Professionals are an important reflection of the country, too, according to Kelly. “Going through the annual process of honoring people who volunteer is at the core of so much of what is good about America,” he says. “It’s a nation of joiners, and at the local level, those people are volunteering their time and money and wisdom to help nonprofit organizations succeed and get better.”
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