Kellogg Foundation Awards $1.8 Million to National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Kellogg Foundation Awards $1.8 Million to National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
On the heels of a decision by the cash-strapped National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to share back-office functions with the Cincinnati Museum Center, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded a three-year, $1.8 million grant to the former, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
The majority of the grant, approximately $1.4 million, will be used to support programs that raise awareness and understanding of the history of racial oppression in the United States. "Storytelling is essential to healing the wounds of the past," said Gail C. Christopher, vice president of program strategy at the Kellogg Foundation. "The...Freedom Center plays a significant role in promoting community-based healing."
The remaining $400,000 will be used to meet a challenge grant the Freedom Center received from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2009. The two organizations, which expect to reduce their payroll expenses by sharing administrative, human resources, and finance functions, agreed to join forces earlier this year after the Freedom Center's board approved changes in the organization's bylaws making such an arrangement possible. In the Freedom Center's case, the agreement will help to address a $1.5 million annual budget shortfall.
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