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Charles Stewart Mott Foundation


Born out of a deep concern about his adopted community of Flint in Michigan, USA, the CS Mott Foundation was established in 1926 by Charles Stewart Mott. This independent, non-profit and private grantmaking foundation makes much needed grants welcome to the United States and internationally. Since, its inception in 1926, the Foundation has acquired considerable experience in working with communities and organisations.

Charles, who started the Foundation to make a difference in the lives of his community members, has reached millions of people world-wide through the work that his foundation achieves. The Foundation that was Mott started as a private citizen - began with just a medical and dental clinic for children. After that he helped establish the YMCA and the Boy Scouts in Flint, along with the Whaley Children's Center. However, it was not untill 1935 that the organisation found the pattern for international success, which has since made it become known in many parts of the world.

The foundation which began on the simple principles of concern about the well-being of the community, starting with the individual, the family, the neighborhood, to the systems of government - now boasts four international offices and is a prominent global force.

“It seems to me that every person, always is in a kind of informal partnership with his community,” Charles C Mott said once and it is on that belief that the Foundation is run today. This is because the Foundation affirms its founder’s vision of a world in which each of us is in partnership with the rest of the human race – where each individual’s quality of life is connected to the well-being of the community, both locally and globally. To achieve this goal the foundation pursues this vision through creative grantmaking, thoughtful communication and other activities that enhance community in its many forms.

It is on this basic partnership of humanity that the foundation still follows and it also uses this to guide decision on grantmaking.

The Mott Foundation makes grants in the United States and, on a limited basis, they make about a 25% international contribution. When it comes to giving grants the Foundation is particularly interested in, organisations that have fresh approaches to solving community problems in its defined program areas. The approach if proven successful must be able to generate long-term support from other sources or can be replicated in other communities when appropriate. They also look for public policy development as well as research and development activities to further existing programs and to explore new fields of interests and approaches and activities that lead to systemic change.

The Mott Foundation runs four main programmes and these are broken down into more specific programme areas. The goal of these programmes is to ensure the Foundation fulfills its mission of supporting efforts that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. The programmes deal with Civil Society, Environment, Fint Area or Pathways out of Poverty. The Civil Society Programme supports efforts to assist in democratic institution building, strengthen communities, promote equitable access to resources, and ensure respect of rights and diversity. There are three core themes that are the central to the programme;


The Civil Society program consists of four grantmaking areas: Central/Eastern Europe and Russia; South Africa; United States; and Special Initiatives – International. It is through its Civil Society Programme Office in London, England, that it funds non-governmental organisations in Central/Eastern Europe and South Africa.

The Environment Programme seeks to o strengthen the partnerships between individuals and communities in order to protect and conserve the environment. Using two funding priorities, the Foundation aims to create institutions, policies and development models that secure environmental quality in the United States and around the world.

The first funding priority is the Reform of International Finance and Trade, which works to reform the environmental policies and practices of international financial and trade institutions. The second, the Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystems in North America advances the conservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems, with an emphasis on the Great Lakes region and select eco-regions in the Southeastern United States.

The Foundation still remains true to the reason it was created, to help the community of Flint. In order to continue supporting the community, the Foundation collaborates in projects that show promise of long-term, positive impact for the greater Flint community. The foundation seeks to live up to the words of its founder and “increase the capacity for accomplishment, the appreciation of values and the understanding of the forces that make up the world we live in."

In 2002, there were changes to the Flint Area programme, now the programme addresses three grantmaking areas: Arts, Culture and Education, Community Revitalization and Economic Development and Special Initiatives. Some of the programmes the Special Initiatives deals with include race relation, children and families and capacity building for non-profit organsiations.

The Pathways Out of Poverty Programme works to empower people to escape poverty. The Foundation tries to find ways to identify, test and help sustain ways out of poverty or low-income people and communities. In making this escape a reality, the focus is on community organizing, education and economic opportunity as this the Foundation believes is critical to moving low-income Americans toward greater prosperity.

These three areas have become the pillars for the Foundation's plan for addressing poverty in the United States. A fourth area, dealing with special initiatives, allows the Foundation to maintain a limited grantmaking presence in key fields, to support projects that are cross-cutting in nature and to explore special opportunities. In addition to these four programs, the Mott Foundation also funds Exploratory and Special Projects [XSP]. XSP grants support unusual or unique opportunities to address significant national and international problems. Under this program, including the programme area for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, they make a limited number of small grants for projects falling outside their regular grantmaking programs.

Overall, it is the Foundation’s hope that the collective work it does in any programme area will lead towards a systematic change. The ultimate quality of life is tied inextricably to maintaining a sustainable human and physical environment. Through its programming, the Foundation works to enhance the capacity of individuals, families or institutions at the local level and beyond. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has stayed true to its mission as set out in 1926, to support efforts that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society.

For more information about the Foundation and the work they do visit the website at www.mott.org. Copies of the Foundation’s 2003 Annual report are now available online.