CO-INVESTING:
Connecting donors with community Kalamazoo Community Foundation’s co-investment
“We met with members of the Donor Relations and
program is customized for donor advisors who are
Community Investment teams and learned about
interested in digging deeper into their philanthropy
the organizations in more detail. We selected one
journey, while at the same time helping the KZCF
with high financial need, doing great work in an
stretch its grantmaking dollars.
area important to us,” VanAllen said.
Donor advisors commit to investing a specific
That co-investment grant from the VanAllens
dollar amount with KZCF during the calendar year.
benefited Healthy House, a rehabilitation center for
KZCF Donor Relations team then presents funding
women experiencing issues with substance misuse.
opportunities to donor advisors participating in the program during one or both of KZCF’s grantmaking cycles. The funding opportunities offered align with KZCF’s priorities and the donor advisors’ philanthropic interests. If interested in funding opportunities through co-investment, donors can suggest grants
“This experience gives our donors an opportunity to learn more about the innovative and impactful work of local nonprofits addressing an area of need that is important to them.”
from their fund. “This experience gives our donors an opportunity to learn more about the innovative and impactful work of local nonprofits addressing an area of need that is important to them,” said Joanna Donnelly Dales, vice president of Donor Relations.
Finding the right match
Joanna Donnelly Dales, Vice President of Donor Relations Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Impact of co-investing “I remember walking into the Gateway Treatment Center on March 26, 1996, after 20 years of active
The VanAllens are donors who were approached
addiction. I was court-ordered to go to treatment
last Spring about an opportunity to support local
and my daughter had become a ward of the state.
nonprofits through co-investing.
On March 26, 2019, I had 23 years of being clean
“Joanna presented a matching fund opportunity
from all drugs.”
and asked us to consider reading through a few
This is the story of a staff member of Healthy House
grants that lined up with our areas of interest,”
for Women, established in 2015. The Healthy House
said Michele VanAllen. After she and her husband
staff understands what it takes to turn a life around.
reviewed the grants, they found one they liked.
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KALAMAZOO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT
