The Kinsman Foundation
Grant History
This Grant History is a summary of our granting activity since 1983. A more detailed history is available in About Us/Family and History. Also on this page is an Analysis of the last full year’s grants.
At its beginning in 1983, The Kinsman Foundation chose 4 granting areas to pursue. Of these, three continue substantially as planned, one has been eliminated, and one has been added. All have undergone some revision and adjustment.
Historic Preservation, originally characterized Historic Preservation and Restoration, continues as a primary interest. In 2006 we recognized that architectural preservation was effectively a focus in this area.
Native Wildlife Rehabilitation and Appreciation started as Wildlife Preservation. Its name has changed to highlight that this interest does not extend to policy, research, preservation or protection of wildlife habitat.
The Health Care Policy granting interest was initially named Medical Research, and some grants have been made for research purposes. More recently we have chosen not to develop within the Foundation the expertise necessary to fund medical research at any level. Instead, this interest addresses the rights and dignity of the individual in relation to the health care system. For several years the exclusive grantee in this area has been the Center for Ethics in Health Care at OHSU.
In 2004, the Foundation established the Betty Kinsman Fund to make grants for arts, culture and humanities in selected disciplines.
The Foundation sometimes initiates grants outside its adopted interest areas.
The funding of education has had a checkered history with the Foundation. Currently, and in the foreseeable future, it does not intend to fund education projects or programs.
2006 Grant Analysis
In 2006 The Kinsman Foundation distributed 91 grants totaling $1,405,134.47 to 86 organizations. Of this total, $343,940 (nearly one-quarter) was distributed throughout the year in the Small Grants Program, and the balance was approved by the Board of Directors in September 2006.
The 2006 grant year represented a plateau in our grantmaking, and is likely to be a pattern for the next several years in most of our interest areas. This chart is an overview of our 2006 grants:
2006 Grant History Overview
| Interest Area | Number of Grants |
Number of Grantees |
Grant Amounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Historic Preservation | 31 | 31 | $531,980 |
| Native Wildlife Rehabilitation | 10 | 7* | $138,124 |
| Native Wildlife Appreciation | 3 | 3* | $13,695 |
| Health Care Policy | 1 | 1 | $200,000 |
| Betty Kinsman Fund | 35 | 34 | $434,585 |
| Other | 11 | 11 | $86,750 |
| Total | 91 | 87 | $1,405,134 |
*One grantee received both a Native Wildlife Rehabilitation grant and a Native Wildlife Appreciation grant.
The distribution of our grants among our interest areas was weighted slightly more heavily to Betty Kinsman Fund grants, in their first full year, than was initially planned.
Our 2006 grants ranged in size from $1,000 to $200,000. The average grant amount was slightly more than $15,000, and the median was $9,800. Excluding the largest grant, the average was $12,290 and the median was $8,500.
Thirty-five of our 2006 grantees (38%) had previously received one of our grants.