Dec. 21, 2006

The Michigan Historical Center Foundation today announced that it has received a $165,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to assist in creating a new development office devoted to cultivating private-sector support for the Michigan Historical Center's programs.

"To further our mission of helping people discover, enjoy and find inspiration in Michigan's heritage - despite tough economic times - we need to focus on partnering with organizations and individuals in the private sector," said Patricia Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center Foundation.  "Thanks to this grant from the Kellogg Foundation, we will now have the tools to help us build support for the Michigan Historical Center programs that benefit so many Michigan residents."

The three-year grant will help the Michigan Historical Center Foundation make the transition to a fully staffed, sustainable development office, including conducting feasibility studies for a major campaign that it will launch by the end of the third year.  The foundation also has received a $50,000 bequest that it is dedicating to this purpose.

Clark said that a development office dedicated to diversifying and strengthening MHC Foundation funding sources will help the Michigan Historical Center implement its strategy to provide innovative education to Michigan students, serve more diverse audiences, strengthen Michigan communities, expand heritage tourism and become more entrepreneurial.

The Michigan Historical Center Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that supports the work of the Michigan Historical Center.  The center includes the Michigan Historical Museum, 10 regional museums, the Archives of Michigan, Records Management Services, archaeological and historic preservation programs, and publications, including Michigan History magazine.

The Michigan Historical Center is part of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL), whose mission is to enrich quality of life and strengthen the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage, and fostering cultural creativity.  The department also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Film Office. For more information about HAL, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 "to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in leadership; information and communication technology; capitalizing on diversity; and social and economic community development.

Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern African countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

For further information, please visit the Foundation's Web site at www.wkkf.org. The site offers: in-depth information about the Foundation's programming interests; information on the Foundation's grant application process; a database of current grant recipients; and access to publications which report on Foundation-funded projects.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).