Kellogg and Other Foundations to Be Honored for Communication Efforts

The Council on Foundations this week will present 71 awards to honor grant makers

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Foundations That Won Awards for Excellence in Communications

that have made outstanding efforts to inform the public about their work.

The 16th annual Wilmer Shields Rich Awards for Excellence in Communications will be distributed at the council’s annual meeting, in New Orleans. The awards, named after the first executive director of the council, will be made for annual reports, Internet sites, newsletters, and special reports.

For the first time in the competition’s 16-year history, the council made a special award to recognize the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in Battle Creek, Mich., for a book on the history of philanthropy in Michigan titled For the Benefit of All.

Greg Barnard, director of media relations at the council, said the book received the honor because it was “an excellent example of how to provide historical context so that people can learn how much their quality of life owes to involvement of foundations, volunteerism, and the non-profit sector in general.”

The Kellogg Foundation provided $171,000 to pay for the production and printing of this book, which includes more than 200 historical photographs and tells stories of volunteers who shaped Michigan’s history. In addition, it provides details on entrepreneurs such as Henry Ford, C.S. Mott, S.S. Kresge, and W.K. Kellogg, who established foundations early this century.

The book is being distributed through the Michigan Council of Foundations for $20 apiece. All proceeds will go to a fund that Kellogg has created to encourage young people in Michigan to get involved in philanthropy.

This year’s Wilmer Shields Rich competition received 305 entries, which were judged by over 70 judges who had backgrounds in communications and philanthropy. Each entry was evaluated on its visual design, organization, and overall effectiveness.

The awards program is run in cooperation with the Communications Network in Philanthropy, an organization that represents public-relations officers at foundations.