Details of a proposed major donation to the City of Kalamazoo are expected to come out on Tuesday.
A pair of philanthropists has offered Kalamazoo $70 million to fix its budget for three years. During that time city staff hope to build an endowment called the Foundation for Excellence to permanently close the gap in Kalamazoo’s finances. It’s up to the city commission to decide whether to take the money.
On Monday the board heard from one supporter – Council of Michigan Foundations CEO Rob Collier, who works with endowed groups around the state.
“I think that the proposed Foundation for Excellence can really set a new bar for an effective public-private partnership. And I’ve got 30 years of experience in doing them and this one really gets me excited when I think about the opportunity,” he told the Board.
Collier offered some suggestions on how to organize the FFE and recommended that the city seek operational help from the nonprofit Kalamazoo Community Foundation.
“They have the infrastructure to help you handle donor questions, respond to – do all of the nitty-gritty that is required when you’re running a foundation, while you all would still be in the governance seat,” he said.
Some commissioners fully back the donation and endowment proposal. Others say they’re concerned it gives too much power to private interests, while making Kalamazoo dependent on them. The city will hold a special meeting to discuss the plan on Monday October 24.
