Springfield College Earns $1 Million Grant, Meets the Kresge Foundation Challenge
October 17, 2008SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 17, 2008 -- Springfield College has been awarded a $1 million challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation toward its $40 million fund-raising campaign, Leadership for the 21st Century, the Campaign for Springfield College.
Announcing today that the college has met The Kresge Challenge, Springfield College President Richard B. Flynn said, “The Kresge Foundation and Springfield College share a common dedication to advancing the well-being of humanity. This generous gift will assist us in providing excellent education, supported by high quality facilities and campus life, for present and future generations of graduates committed to service to other people. We are most grateful to The Kresge Foundation for supporting our mission.”
The foundation issued the challenge to the college in September 2007 to reach $39 million toward its $40 million goal by June 30, 2008. At the time, the college had raised $33.3 million. By the deadline, the college had surpassed the $39 million mark.
“The Kresge Foundation’s vote of confidence in Springfield College, and the prospect of matching funds, stimulated enthusiasm among our many supporters, including alumni, faculty, staff, foundations, businesses and friends,” Flynn said.
The Kresge Foundation is a $3 billion national organization that works to strengthen nonprofit organizations that advance the well-being of humanity. It has been a driving force in the building of facilities for nonprofit organizations in the United States for the past 84 years. Its Capital Challenge Grant Program, which awards an organization a financial grant if it raises an agreed-upon amount of funds from private sources, has helped communities across the country build libraries, schools, hospitals, museums, community centers and food banks, among other brick and mortar projects.
Springfield College educates students to become leaders in the human-helping professions, education, and other fields of service to people. In many of its academic programs, students are required to apply their classroom learning through service in schools, health-care organizations, and community-based organizations. A large percentage of students also volunteer in the community. The college also has been a prime mover in programs to make its surrounding neighborhood a better place for living, working and learning.
