FAQ

We envision a nation that marshals its resources to assure that ALL children have an equitable and promising future – a nation in which all children thrive.

What is the organization’s mission?

We support children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.

How does the Kellogg Foundation determine its programming interests?

Vulnerable children are the nearly 30 million children* in the United States growing up in families that can’t make ends meet – those on the bottom rung of the economic ladder who end up in the lower tier on every possible indicator.  These are children who face poverty plus at least one other compounding factor (such as race, ethnicity, a household headed by a single mother, or a low level of education).  For far too many children, what makes them vulnerable is poverty plus the color of their skin.

Vulnerable children live in urban and rural communities largely segregated by economics, class and color.  For families in these communities, the future holds little promise for advancement.

Why is the Kellogg Foundation focused on these children?

Simply put, we are unwilling to accept a second-class future for these kids.  We want today’s vulnerable children to reshape tomorrow’s society in positive, productive ways.  In order for that to happen, we need to strengthen families and communities – to transform immediate surroundings for these children in positive, productive ways.

This is consistent with the wishes of W.K. Kellogg, who in 1930 said to his staff, “use the money as you please, as long as it promotes the health, happiness and well-being of children.”  In essence, our focus on vulnerable children connects the legacy of our founder with our current and future work.

We are committed to helping strengthen the following dimensions of community life – essential elements that we believe all children need in order to be successful:

• Education and learning

• Food, health and well-being

• Family economic security

 
What are the key approaches to funding opportunities within your new strategic framework?

Overarching and connecting these dimensions is a renewed commitment to promoting racial equity and working against the forces of modern and structural racism that persist in our society. Also, as key approaches to our work, we will improve the lives of children and families by:

• Emphasizing the role of place and geographic focus

• Civic and philanthropic engagement

• Developing and supporting leaders

• Focusing on key policy issues

What do you mean by racial equity?

In short, it’s a commitment to anti-racism.  Through our funding work, we hope to help dismantle structural racism, and heal and reconcile racial attitudes, beliefs, and misunderstandings that constrain the lives and futures of children.

Will you still fund programs in southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean?

We believe that integrating these approaches into our work with communities will lead to innovative efforts that advance new ways of serving vulnerable children and families.  As a result, they will create the conditions that are necessary for these children to succeed.

Specifically, within ten years, we hope that what is now a crisis for children will have been transformed into a national priority and a moral commitment to change.  We anticipate that our civic engagement efforts will have raised the conversation and brought about substantive positive policy and systemic change.  And we expect that the well-being of children will become the center of conversations and actions in the communities with which we have partnered.

Does the Kellogg Foundation have legislative priorities?

In some ways, yes, but it is also a recommitment to our donor’s intent.  The Foundation was first established as a child welfare fund, and the growth, nurturing and well-being of children has been a major part of our work for nearly 80 years.  This new framework is simply an attempt to consolidate our longstanding values of stewardship and innovation into a focus builds upon our core competencies as an organization and honors the vision of Mr. Kellogg for a safe, healthy future for all children.

Among other things, we asked ourselves what the world needs from us today. We live in a time when national needs are again being strongly felt and the future of our children is very often at the center of these concerns. The spirit of our times calls directly to foundations such as ours to confront the challenges we face with renewed hope and vision.
 
We cannot let a nation at risk become a nation divided or in decline.  As stewards of the resources and legacy bequeathed by W.K. Kellogg, we will expect better and demand better. Bottom line is that any changes that occur will be more evolutionary than revolutionary.  They’ll still be anchored in the Kellogg Foundation’s longstanding legacy of helping children, families and communities.

What does this mean to current Kellogg Foundation grantees?

Current grantees will continue to be supported under the existing terms of their grants.  This is a long-term mission, so any changes that occur will likely be gradual.

What about future grantseekers?

Future grantseekers will want to take our new mission and vision statements – along with future programming  interests that emerge– into consideration when putting together their grant proposals.

Will you be changing your emphasis when it comes to interactions with government officials and policymakers?

Our board of trustees meets monthly at the Kellogg Foundation.

How are the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Kellogg Company related?

The two organizations are completely independent of each other. The misconception that the two are related is understandable because of their names and because the headquarters of both organizations are in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Though they are and always have been separate organizations, they do have a shared history in that both were founded by cereal industry pioneer Will Keith Kellogg. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation's original assets, the benevolence of W.K. Kellogg, consisted of Kellogg Company stock.

Do you have geographic restrictions?

Most grants are awarded in:
• The United States
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Seven southern African countries – Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Applying for a grant with the Kellogg Foundation is similar to what it has been in the past, although certain aspects of the process may change.  We are currently reviewing our grant application and funding process and will share additional information as it becomes available.  Please visit the Online Grant Application for details on how to apply.

Do you have new grantmaking guidelines?