Posted on July 1, 2012

Frey Foundation Elects 'Third Generation' Board Members

Ellie Frey, Sarah Frey Rose, and Mary Frey Bennett may be new to the forty-year-old Frey Foundation's board, but the three members of the third generation to help guide the Frey family's philanthropy are hardly new to giving, MLive.com reports.

Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Frey Foundation supports the arts, capital projects, youth development, civic progress, the environment, and efforts to improve the effectiveness of organized philanthropy. It selected its newest three board members from a pool of ten cousins. Not surprisingly, each of the women, all of whom have served on the boards of nonprofits and/or foundations previously, brings a unique perspective to the job.

For example, Ellie Frey, 35, currently serves as the director of the Grand Rapids-based Family Business Alliance, which offers training and networking opportunities to area businesses, and sits on the board of several other charities. A mother of three, Sarah Frey Rose, 36, has assisted in the development of early childhood and education initiatives in Charlevoix/Emmet County and has served as a family services worker for a local Head Start program. Mary Frey Bennett, 40, earned a master's degree in nonprofit management and organizational development from the New School's Milano Graduate School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, managed the Albert A. List Foundation in New York, and was involved in development work at the New York City Opera and the Little Orchestra Society.

Ellie Frey told MLive.com that she and her cousins not only plan to bring a fresh eye to the foundation's grantmaking process, they also have a lot of questions. "We're building on the past and the strength of the past," she said. "We want the next generation to be known for its accessibility and approachability."