Kellogg Foundation OKs $40M Costa Rica grant; see more

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation approved more than $57 million in new grant funding in August, the bulk of which will support an endowment fund to ensure agricultural higher education opportunities for disadvantaged students in Costa Rica.

The Battle Creek-based foundation granted $40 million last month to Escuela de Agricultura de la Region Tropical Humeda, also known as EARTH University, in Limón, Costa Rica. Its intended purpose is to "strengthen the organization's capacity to ensure future agricultural higher education opportunities," particularly for economically disadvantaged students, according to a monthly grant disclosure by the foundation. EARTH, which operates as a private, nonprofit university, was created with financial support by the Costa Rica government, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Kellogg Foundation, according to its website. The grant's start date was Sept. 1 and it runs through June 30, 2099.

For the month, the Kellogg Foundation awarded 27 new grants for a cumulative total amount of $57,424,120.

Several Louisiana-based organizations received sizable checks from the Kellogg Foundation. Among them, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the Greater New Orleans Foundation, which were granted $1 million apiece to support "immediate critical relief and services for low-income communities and communities of color" and support a recovery effort in flood-impacted communities."

The Foundation for Louisiana also received $20,000 from WKKF to "assess a new model for fiscal sponsorship services" that integrates racial equity strategies, the foundation reported.

No Battle Creek organizations got new grants from the foundation last month. In July, there were two major organizations to receive WKKF funding: the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce ($150,000) and Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, which operates as Southwest Michigan Community Development Corp., ($650,000). The only Michigan-based organization to receive WKKF grant funding in August was Grand Haven's Council of Michigan Foundations Inc., which got $1.6 million to support a data transparency project, designed to "improve outcomes of vulnerable children and families."

Contact Dillon Davis at 269-966-0698 or dwdavis@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DillonDavis