Dr. Robert F. Long
Vice President for Programs - Philanthropy and Volunteerism
W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Dr. Long is the Vice President for Programs in the Philanthropy and Volunteerism program area at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek , Michigan. The program area is committed to the vision of: "A mutually responsible and just society in which all contribute to the common good through volunteering and philanthropy." The work is dedicated to encouraging people to give time, money, and know-how for the improvement of society.

Dr. Long joined the Foundation in 1993 as a Program Director and stepped into the Vice President for Programs role in 2001. Before joining the Foundation, he served as the endowed McElroy Professor of Youth Leadership Studies at the University of Northern Iowa where he also directed the Division of Youth and Human Service Administration. Dr. Long also was a youth development specialist for the Cooperative Extension Service in Illinois and Nevada. He currently serves on a number of committees and boards in the areas of nonprofit sector development and philanthropy and is a member of several related professional associations including the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Associations, the International Society for Third-Sector Research, Grantmakers for Children Youth and Families, and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.

Born and raised in Illinois, Dr. Long earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational leadership and evaluation from the University of Illinois. He studied the effects of fiscal decline on the leadership and management of community education programs. His current research interests include the relationship between youth development and community development and the role of service in building the capacity of young people to become contributing members of society. Dr. Long has edited and published numerous articles and publications and completed research and development activities in the areas of youth leadership, diversity in nonprofit sector leadership, nonprofit organization management, and philanthropy.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 "to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." Its programming activities center around the common vision of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community, and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and healthy communities.

To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in leadership; information and communication technology; capitalizing on diversity; and social and economic community development. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern African countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.