75 Years Investing in People

In 2005, the Kellogg Foundation will complete 75 years of activities. It was in June of 1930 that the American businessman and philanthropist Will Keith Kellogg created what would become one of the world’s leading private foundations. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, a special programming of events, grants and publications has been established. The purpose is to promote the work of the institutions supported by the Foundation and share the history and the ideals of its creator, in order to inspire other initiatives for the common good.

“While the Kellogg Foundation now ranks among the world’s largest in terms of equity, grants and total giving, these have never been the Foundation’s metrics for achievement,” says William C. Richardson, CEO and president of the Foundation. “The Kellogg Foundation measures its success by the number of people it helps, by the difference it makes and by the fidelity to its founder’s vision. Only by investing in people can we truly influence real change – that’s been the Kellogg way since day one, and it will remain the Kellogg way for many years to come.”

The anniversary programming embraces the three regions where the Kellogg Foundation operates: United States, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. To broaden the debate on the ideas that guide the work being developed in these regions, a series of six conferences have been organized in four cities in the United States (Battle Creek, the headquarters of the Foundation, Washington, Houston and Lansing), one in Latin America (São Paulo, in Brazil) and one in Africa (Robben Island, in South Africa).

The conference in São Paulo will occur on May 30-June 1 in the headquarters of the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO). On the theme Partnering with Youth to Build the Future, the event will comprise debates and lectures in various formats, cultural presentations and an exhibition for the social projects of Latin America and the Caribbean. Participation in the debates will be restricted to invited guests. Attending will be representatives from all the projects funded by the Kellogg Foundation in Central America and southern Mexico, the Northeast of Brazil and the Andean region, as well as from various partner institutions operating in the Third Sector.

Another initiative of the Foundation to commemorate its 75th anniversary is an investment in special projects, besides those that are already part of its grantmaking policy. In Latin America, this investment was directed at the Experiences in Social Innovation Award, created by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The award will be held annually for four years. For the award’s first year, which began in September of 2004, some 1,600 entries were received from 33 different countries. The final stage will take place in November.

Also part of the anniversary programming is a series of editorial launches about the Kellogg Foundation and its founder. Among the products to be launched is a special anniversary website (75.wkkf.org), which is already available in English and will also soon be so in Spanish and Portuguese. The site compiles information on the 75-year history and relates how the projects supported in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa uphold the legacy of Will Keith Kellogg in these regions.

02/01/2005