And Now For Something Completely Different

 A Post from James V. Toscano 

Bush at 60

The Bush Foundation is celebrating its 60^th anniversary. Founded by Archibald Bush, a legendary 3M executive, and his wife in 1953, the Foundation has been a force in philanthropy over these years in important ways.

Bush was an early leader in funding education and scholarships. A substantial portion of the $800 million given away in its first sixty years went to education in a variety of ways, from challenge grants to scholarships.

Before 2020, the Foundation will have given away its first billion, continuing to fund a set of focused goals established in 2007 and illustrated in its 2012 annual report:

Leadership

Bush has been served by a number of outstanding leaders and its board has always been a who’s who of  truly thoughtful individuals who worked to better the communities served. Leadership is also one of the stronger themes in the Bush book of guiding principles. A number of programs have benefitted leadership education and training for educators, nonprofit and business leaders, physicians and others.

As president in its middle years, Humphrey Doermann set the standard for foundations here and nationally, thoroughly and thoughtfully organizing the application and grant processes and supporting important issues with great courage. A Bush grant was akin to winning the highest form of approval for a nonprofit, approval from the ultimate gatekeeper.

The 2007 Goals

Created in the administration of Peter Hutchinson and now expanded in its reach by the recently appointed president, Jennifer Ford Reedy, the Foundation program looks to partnerships and to communities and individuals for leadership in important aspects of confronting and solving the challenges of contemporary society.

With Jennifer Reedy in charge, a new and open tone has been created, both inviting and encouraging to potential partners. Combined with addition of creative staff, the Foundation’s stock has risen significantly in the nonprofit community.

Innovation is a major theme. We now learn significant news from a blog published on the Foundation’s website and circulated in novel ways. Clearly, readership is intense, looking for direction as to where the Foundation will go in its programming.

Community Innovation

A recent blog column from Reedy announced two significant programs that build, expand and improve on earlier efforts. In Reedy’s words:

 “The Community Innovation programs are about inspiring and enabling communities to create innovative solutions to the challenges they face.”

Clearly this is an attempt to move communities and their leadership to create, invent and change, to go beyond the expected and to arrive at solutions to problems that then may be applied to other communities throughout the nation.

These are bold moves. Community Innovation grants and the Bush Prize are the funding instruments through which these goals will be achieved.

Another chapter has begun at Bush and it looks like it’s off to a good start.

---