Celebrating 100 Years of Impact
One hundred years ago, the transformative and enduring community partnership between the newly formed Kalamazoo Community Foundation (then Kalamazoo Foundation) and Kalamazoo County began. Over the course of this expansive relationship, Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF) would become a primary funding resource, granting $564 million to hundreds of local nonprofits and thousands of dedicated education seekers looking to do their part to advance their families and our community forward. Whether making historic funding gifts that transcended racial lines and navigating economic downturns that shook the nation, or offering reliability during difficult political landscapes and helping community members rebuild after the devastation of natural disasters, KZCF has remained our community’s foundation.
A New Beginning
KZCF was established on Aug. 24, 1925, following a series of intricate and ongoing planning sessions that took place in the early part of that year. On April 15, 1925, the Chamber of Commerce Community Trust Committee met in the director’s room of the First National Bank to discuss how a community trust would be organized. Within three months of the meeting, the committee unanimously adopted a resolution titled “Resolution adopted by the Community Trust Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, July 28, 1925, part of the procedure designed to create a Community Trust organization under the name, Kalamazoo Foundation.”
The resolution solidified the purpose of KZCF, which was and continues to be to meet the needs of a changing community, create an aggregate fund for charitable, benevolent and educational donations, and provide an impartial committee to direct the usage of funds. It was also determined that income created by the Kalamazoo Foundation’s funds would be used for the betterment of lives across Kalamazoo County, regardless of race, color or religion.
Our First Grant
By Oct. 29, 1929, Michigan and the rest of the nation were hit by the Great Depression, with some of the worst years still yet to come. As community members did their best to navigate the effects, the Kalamazoo Foundation was preparing to step in. In 1930, the Kalamazoo Foundation made its first grant of $250 (valued at roughly $5,000 today) to Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS). The grant, which was the only one provided that year, was given to help keep resource-deprived children in school and provide them with food, clothing and other items. With another $250 grant awarded in 1931 and a series of additional grants ranging from $250 to $700 being awarded over the next four years, students were supplied with books and glasses. Grant dollars also went toward covering the cost of “visiting teachers” who dedicated their time to assisting and educating students.
Ready to learn even more about our history? Check out our 100-year timeline here!
