Awards

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2011

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2009

About McCormick Foundation

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation was established in 1955 under The Last Will and Testament of Col. Robert R. McCormick, long time publisher and editor of the Chicago Tribune.

The McCormick Foundation was honored by the The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University with a 2009 IUPUI Spirit of Philanthropy Award in recognition of the Foundation and its then president and CEO, David L. Grange's invaluable support. David Grange, former commanding general of the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division, provided exemplary volunteer leadership as chair of the center’s Board of Visitors. With McCormick Foundation sponsorship, the foundation and the center convened national philanthropy summits of nonprofit leaders, scholars, and policymakers to address critical nonprofit sector issues, including the nonprofit leadership gap,

accountability, and news coverage. Through a McCormick Foundation grant, the center and the IU School of Journalism developed a nonprofit reporting program for journalism students and professionals. The foundation’s generous operating support helped build the center’s capacity in development, technology, and communications.

In 2010, the McCormick Foundation of Chicago awarded a $35,000 grant to Indiana University's National Sports Journalism Center, based at IUPUI, to launch a free summer Sports Media Diversity Institute to select high school students from Indianapolis and Chicago. Students received instruction from world-class teachers and interviewed prominent sport media personalities, athletes, and coaches, including basktball great Isiah Thomas, TNT basketball analyst David Aldridge, Chicago Tribune columnist Fred Mitchell, IU basketball coach Tom Crean, and former IUPUI basketball coach Ron Hunter. Students produced a half-hour program for WFYI-TV and a website with stories, photos, video, and picture galleries. The institute's goal is to show students a career path in sports beyond the playing field or court, and to encourage them to pursue college degrees. The McCormick Foundation continued to support the institute following the IUPUI launch.