Online Giving Campaign Aims to Raise Funds to Address High-Priority Issues in Communities of Color

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has announced a new online giving campaign to challenge donors to raise funds for nonprofit organizations that focus on high-priority issues in communities of color.

The "Cultures of Giving Donor Challenge" is a 10-day campaign that will run from April 17 to April 26.  During that time, every donation made to one of the 22 participating nonprofits up to the first $20,000 per nonprofit will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the foundation. Donations can be made to the organizations through culturesofgiving.razoo.com, and each gift also makes the nonprofit organization eligible for special prizes and awards.

The Cultures of Giving Donor Challenge is informed by a recent WKKF report on philanthropy. The report, "Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color," indicated that the face of philanthropy is rapidly changing to become as ethnically, culturally and socioeconomically diverse as the country's population, with some of the most significant growth stemming from identity-based philanthropy. Identity-based philanthropy is a growing movement to spark philanthropic giving from a community on behalf of that community. In this movement, "community" is defined by race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

The nonprofits participating in the challenge are powerful resources that focus on a range of issues, including education, preventive health care, women's and children's advocacy and social justice. During the challenge, selected days will be dedicated to specific causes, such as "Educated Kids Focus Day" and "Secure Families Focus Day."

The goal of the challenge is to get thousands of community donors to support the projects of these well-respected nonprofits that serve a wide variety of communities from coast to coast. Those interested in the Cultures of Giving Donor Challenge can engage with it on Facebook and Twitter.

"Communities of color have a deep tradition of giving to help the causes that hit close to home," said Dr. Alandra Washington, WKKF's deputy director of programs for the education and learning, and family economic security teams. "This challenge intends to spark that tradition of self-help at a time when nonprofits can rely less and less on government assistance."

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life. 

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti.

To learn more, visit www.wkkf.org or follow WKKF on twitter at @wk_kellogg_fdn.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation