Assessing Philanthropic Impact: How the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Building Bridges Initiative Supported the Field of Philanthropic and Nonprofit Studies

Abstract

The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) was a $13.5 million, five-year (1997–2002) W.K. KelloggFoundation (WKKF) program that aimed toincrease the capacity of the U.S. nonprofit sec-tor by funding nonprofit academic centers andprograms. The initiative was grounded in theassumption that deeper understanding, better-prepared leadership, stronger organizations, andeffective support systems would improve thesector’s impact on the quality of life across localand national communities