Rip Rapson, president of the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, becomes president following the retirement John Marshall  Elaine Rosen is elected chairwoman. Under Rapson’s leadership, more than 8,000 grants exceeding $2.9 billion, and 152 social investments valued at more than $510 million, have been awarded.

The Kresge Arts in Detroit (KAID) program begins as an effort to solidify an arts and culture ecology with support to arts organizations big and small, foster audience development and patronage, and to individual artists in Detroit’s Tri-county area; Charles McGee is the first Kresge Eminent Artist.

The foundation launches a five-year, $15 million International Initiative to aid organizations in Mexico and South Africa. – The Mexico initiative is a 5-year, $5 million effort to help build private philanthropy in Mexico. – The South Africa Initiative is a $10 million, 5-year effort to partner with the South African Institute of Development (Inyathelo) … Continue reading 2005

A challenge grant for Detroit’s Eastern Market restoration of Sheds 2 & 3 is approved and renovations begin. Kresge has continued to support the restoration of Eastern Market, its operations and its community development efforts through grants and social investments exceeding $4 million.

Bruce Kresge steps down as chairman and retires as a trustee after 37 years with the foundation. Irene Hirano is elected chairwoman. Katherine Lutey, Bruce Kresge’s second eldest daughter, joins as a trustee. She serves through 2009. The foundation surpasses $2 billion in grants awarded.  

Rip Rapson introduces “Re-Imagining Detroit 2020,” a new strategic framework. The plan is an attempt to record and organize nine discrete, yet tightly interrelated, bodies of work that were currently underway in Detroit, funded largely by local philanthropy.