When Elizabeth Wood and a small group of dedicated activists formed the Metropolitan Housing Council in 1934, their mission was simple but lofty, to replace the city's blighted and dilapidated slums with safe, decent housing. They could hardly have imagined that their group would become what the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is today: one of the region’s most effective and respected policy advocates. To increase its impact, MPC sets a new ambitious goal for itself today, as it launches Bold Plans, Bright Future, a $14.2 million endowment campaign – the first in the organization’s history.
When Elizabeth Wood and a
small group of dedicated activists formed the Metropolitan Housing Council in
1934, their mission was simple but lofty, to
replace the city's blighted
and dilapidated slums with safe, decent housing. They could hardly have imagined
that their group would become what the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is
today: one of the region’s most effective and respected policy advocates. To
increase its impact, MPC sets a new ambitious goal for itself today, as it
launches Bold Plans, Bright Future, a $14.2 million endowment campaign — the
first in the organization’s history.
Anchored by an exceptional
$4 million gift from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation — the
largest single grant MPC has ever received — and 100 percent participation from
its 50-member Board of Governors, MPC plans to raise an additional $8.2 million
to fund an endowment, support programmatic initiatives, and provide operating
support for 2003 and 2004.
“The
Metropolitan Planning Council is one of the most effective civic organizations
in the country devoted to the promotion and implementation of sensible urban
planning and development policies,” said Jonathan Fanton, president of the
MacArthur Foundation. “Its Board and staff are tireless in their efforts to
sustain the vitality and competitiveness of the Chicago region. They are equally
attentive to the importance of managing the consequences of growth and
development. The MacArthur Foundation recognizes the importance of the
Metropolitan Planning Council's research, analysis and advocacy, and considers
this special gift an investment in the future of the entire region,” Fanton
added.
The
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, with headquarters in Chicago, is
a private, independent grant-making institution dedicated to helping groups and
individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition. The Foundation
makes grants through four programs. The
Program on Human and Community
Development
supports organizations working primarily on national issues,
including community development, regional policy, housing, public education,
juvenile justice, and mental health policy. The
Program on Global Security
and Sustainability
supports organizations engaged in international issues,
including peace and security, conservation and sustainable development,
population and reproductive health, and human rights. The
General Program
supports public interest media and the production of independent documentary
films. The
MacArthur Fellows Program
awards five-year, unrestricted
fellowships to individuals across all ages and fields who show exceptional merit
and the promise of continued creative work. With assets of about $3.8 billion,
the Foundation makes grants totaling approximately $170 million each
year.
Said MarySue
Barrett,
MPC’s president. “We are at a critical juncture in our history. We have
helped spark a number of positive changes related to housing, transportation and
sensible growth in the Chicago region in the last few years—the blueprint
for Illinois’ first-ever state housing policy, road and transit funding
through Illinois FIRST, the state’s first new planning legislation since
the 1920s — just to name a recent few. We are poised to have an
even greater impact,” she continued. “The
predictable
funding from this campaign will allow us to maintain our independence and
integrity, which amplifies our power as an advocate. It will allow us to look
farther into the future and be less constrained by project-specific funding. The
fund will also provide the resources for us to energetically take on the most
pressing projects at the time when we can make the biggest difference.”
In addition to the MacArthur Foundation,
the lead donors to the campaign are: John W. Baird; John S. Gates,
Jr. and CenterPoint Properties Trust; King Harris and Pittway Corportation Charitable Foundation;
Diane Aigotti and Aon Corporation; John Buck; Douglas Crocker, II; Lester Crown;
M. Hill Hammock and LaSalle Bank; Edward H. King and Walgreen Co.; Lee M.
Mitchell; and Jean Sheridan and The Northern Trust
Company.
Of
the total $14.2 million MPC expects to raise, $6.2 million will be used for
annual operating expenses for this year and next, the duration of the campaign.
The remainder will be divided — based on donor designation — between a permanent
endowment and a
Board
Designated Reserve Fund to be spent at a time and for an opportunity approved by
MPC’s Board of Governors.
For
example, one of MPC’s toughest, long-term challenges is to reduce Illinois’
reliance on the property tax to fund education. With expanded resources, MPC
could build on the legislative victories achieved this session and engage a
full-scale grassroots campaign to reform education funding and improve student
outcomes. In addition, monies from this fund-raising campaign will enable MPC to
take its policy agenda from advocacy to implementation, and help more local
municipalities expand affordable housing, revitalize their downtowns, preserve
open space, and cluster development near transit.
“We are delighted and inspired by the
MacArthur Foundation gift.
We
have worked in an effective partnership since 1986, and we share a deep
commitment to the long-term health and vitality of the entire region. The
magnitude of this gift allows us to achieve so much more,” said John Gates, Jr.,
president and CEO of CenterPoint Properties Trust, chair of MPC’s Board of
Governors and one of the co-chairs of the
Bold Plans, Bright Future campaign.
The
other co-chairs are:
John
A. Buck, chairman and CEO of The John Buck Company; Lester Crown, chairman of
Material Service Corporation; M. Hill Hammock, chief operating officer of
LaSalle Bank; Elmer Johnson, partner with Jenner & Block; Lee M. Mitchell,
principal of Thoma Cressey Equity Partners; and George A. Ranney, president
& CEO of Chicago Metropolis 2020. MPC’s entire Board of Governors, whose
members to date have pledged almost $2 million to the campaign, make up the
campaign committee.
Founded
in 1934, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
group of business and civic leaders committed to serving the public interest
through the promotion and implementation of sensible planning and development
policies necessary for a world-class Chicago region. MPC conducts policy
analysis, outreach, and advocacy in partnership with public officials and
community leaders to improve equity of opportunity and quality of life
throughout metropolitan Chicago.