Chesrown establishes philanthropic foundation

Developer Marshall Chesrown has established a philanthropic foundation to foster leadership in children, support animal welfare, stimulate community involvement and promote neighborhood improvement.

Foundation Northwest announced in a news release that it would administer the Chesrown Family Foundation. The amount of Chesrown’s foundation is confidential, but it will be replenished annually, said Mark Hurtubise, CEO and president of Foundation Northwest.

Hurtubise declined to set an average grant amount, saying Chesrown would entertain “any reasonable proposal” that meets the criteria of his foundation.

“How do you develop a young person to be inquisitive about life, to be responsible about decision-making and maybe stimulate some entrepreneurship as they move into adulthood? What ideas can nonprofits come up with that would measurably improve neighborhoods?” Hurtubise said, illustrating the goals of Chesrown’s foundation. “It’s going to depend on the quality of the application and the creativity of the application. He is going to be engaged significantly.”

The foundation will give preference to nonprofit organizations that provide services in the following areas: education and leadership development for children up to age 12; animal welfare, education and rescue; broad-based community involvement; and neighborhood improvement.

According to Foundation Northwest’s Web site, the Chesrown Foundation will consider proposals for: capital and equipment necessary to implement a program or service; start-up funding for new programs; and money for general support or program expansion.

“The Chesrown Family Foundation will help others realize their vision and financially assist organizations in making a positive difference in their communities,” Chesrown said in the release. He said he chose Foundation Northwest to administer the fund because of its stability and staff, who will research funding applicants.

Chesrown is the developer of the exclusive Club at Black Rock on Lake Coeur d’Alene and of the coming Kendall Yards urban village proposed for the north bank of the Spokane River in downtown Spokane. His other developments include properties along the Spokane River, Lake Coeur d’Alene and Liberty Lake. He recently returned to his native Inland Northwest after selling his Colorado car dealerships.

Foundation Northwest was founded in 1974 to provide a permanent source of philanthropic capital for the Inland Northwest. The foundation administers more than 200 charitable funds established by donors, awarding grants to support many aspects of life, including arts and culture, education, healthcare and human services. Foundation Northwest has an endowment of about $41 million and has distributed more than $27 million in grants and scholarships since it began.

“Someone somewhere is going to discover a cure for AIDS and that person could very well be in our backyard right now. For us to provide an environment for them to grow up healthy, safe and be a contributing responsible citizen of our community … if we’re contributing to that, we’ve done a great job,” Hurtubise said. “That’s the passion for why we exist. The important thing is people are becoming more aware we’re here to assist them.”