Kresge President and CEO Rip Rapson has been named the recipient of the 2025 Council on Foundations’ Distinguished Service Award, the highest individual honor bestowed by the national philanthropic membership organization. The award recognizes visionary leaders whose careers exemplify excellence, courage, and lasting impact in the field of philanthropy.

Presented annually since 1984, the Distinguished Service Award honors individuals whose work has helped shape and advance philanthropy at a national scale. Rapson joins a distinguished group of sector leaders recognized for their contributions to community-centered, values-driven change.

Kresge will celebrate Rapson’s 20th year leading the foundation in 2026. Since 2006, he has led Kresge to embrace a community-centered approach to philanthropy, expanded its use of grantmaking and social investment tools, and played a catalytic role in strengthening cities — most notably in Detroit.

Upon learning of the honor, Rapson emphasized that awards like this are never about a single person. “This recognition reflects a body of work made possible by our Kresge staff and guided by our Board — and, in that sense, it is an honor for the Foundation as a whole,” he said.

The Distinguished Service Award was announced alongside several other 2025 Council Awards, including the Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking, the Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy Leadership Award, and two new honors recognizing excellence in community foundation leadership and collaborative, bridge‑building philanthropy. (See all the COF 2025 awards)

“The Council Awards program recognizes the best of philanthropy. This year’s winners led policy changes that expanded charitable resources and made it easier to give, oversaw global efforts to improve more than one billion lives, connected communities across differences, and much more,” said Council on Foundations President and CEO Kathleen Enright. “During a difficult year, these individuals and organizations demonstrated how charitable foundations will continue to meet new challenges with commitment, creativity, and care.”