The Edward Lowe Foundation was established by Ed and Darlene Lowe in 1985. In contrast to most U.S. foundations, which are grant-giving entities, we are an operating foundation that funds its own programs.

The foundation’s  entrepreneurship initiatives are focused on second-stage companies — growth-oriented firms that have moved beyond  startup but haven’t yet reached maturity. Our peer learning, leadership education and strategic information programs are geared to help these companies continue growing. We also educate communities about the challenges second-stagers face and how to work with them.

To scale our impact, the foundation delivers its programs to second-stagers through other entrepreneur support organizations, which includes chambers of commerce, small business development centers, technology councils, and economic development agencies. Although many programs are conducted on our partners’ turf, such as PeerSpectives CEO roundtables and System for Integrated Growth, we host leader retreats and facilitator training at Big Rock Valley (BRV), our headquarters in southwest Michigan.

BRV is also integral in our land stewardship initiatives. A 2,000-acre property comprised of woodlands, wetlands and prairies, BRV’s diverse habitats support a wide variety of species, many of which are endangered or threatened. To preserve BRV’s biodiversity, the foundation leverages a number of innovative land management practices. In addition, we allow researchers to use the property for studies that can expand the knowledge base of conservation science.