Troy Historical Society Receives Grants from Kresge, Brooksie Way

The following information was provided by the City of Troy/Troy Historical Society.

The Troy Historical Society, which operates the Troy Historic Village, "where history lives," has recently received grants totaling $31,871 from two important and very different funders: the Kresge Foundation, a $3.1 billion private foundation that supports nonprofit organizations nationwide, and the Brooksie Way Minigrant Program, which funds programs that support and promote health and wellness projects and active lifestyles in Oakland County, Michigan.

This diversity of funding demonstrates the flexibility of the Troy Historic Village, a destination for high quality arts and culture programs which also provides good old-fashioned family fun.

The Kresge Foundation awarded the Troy Historical Society a Detroit Arts Support grant of $30,000 over two years. Detroit Arts Support grants provide dollars that eligible arts and culture organizations can apply to salaries, supplies, marketing and other operational costs – expenses that are not eligible for support by most grant funders.

“The Society is really grateful for this support,” Treasurer John Lavender said. “The staff works hard to control costs in the Village and we continue to look for ways to increase revenue.  We have many additional ideas for program growth and expansion and these unrestricted funds are critically important.”

“The Kresge Foundation supports creative places where people actively investigate, preserve and share not just objects, but also the stories and the relationships that those objects represent,” Troy Historic Village Director Loraine Campbell said. “It’s our goal to use cultural traditions and artistic expressions to establish the Village as a center for creativity, learning and enjoyment that increase the vitality of our community.”

The Society was also happy to receive $1,871 in September from the Brooksie Way Mini-Grant Program, which is funded by the proceeds of the annual Brooksie Way Half Marathon. The mini-grants support projects that promote healthy and active lifestyles in Oakland County. The Society will use Brooksie Way funds to purchase timeless, traditional outdoor toys and games, including jump ropes, hula-hoops, jacks, marbles and other lawn games.

“We will schedule four 'Games on the Green' days next summer and also use the equipment in our summer day-camp and school group programs. Our goal is to provide more ways that families can enjoy the Village and its resources throughout the year and to support healthy, active, good old-fashioned fun,” Campbell said.

The Troy Historic Village is located at 60 W. Wattles in Troy. Call 248-524-3570 for more information.