Local non-profit organizations will benefit far into the future from a new endowment announced for the Berrien Community Foundation this week. Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey tells WSJM News $1.2 million from Steve E. Upton will be used to give out a $50,000 grant to a different group each year.
“It could be for children, it could be for education, it could be for art, it could be for the environment,” Cripps-Downey said. “It really depends on what the need is, and I think part of the beauty of the endowment is that as our community changes, it will continue to give.”
Cripps-Downey says the grants will be able to go on essentially forever. This year’s $50,000 is headed to the Therapeutic Equestrian Center’s TEC for Vets program, which helps veterans with PTSD. Cripps-Downey says Steve Upton is giving out the endowment because he loves the community and believes in its people.
