History
The Flinn Family
The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation traces its roots three generations back to Elisha Flinn. He was born in 1843 and lived in New York State until coming to Detroit in 1865 to enter the practice of law. Elisha Flinn's clients were companies involved in natural resources but he gradually discontinued the practice of law to enter the business of buying and selling pine timber in Michigan. He formed a partnership with his former partner under the name of Robinson and Flinn and when the Michigan pine timber gave out they moved their activities to other states and later to Minnesota. Robinson and Flinn associated with others from Michigan and purchased considerable acreage of pine land in Minnesota. In 1892 iron ore was found on their Minnesota properties and from that time until his death in 1911 Elisha Flinn’s principal business was iron ore mining in and around Eveleth, Minnesota. He was president of the Lake Superior Iron and Chemical Company, a vice president of old Detroit National Bank and a director of the Wayne County Savings Bank and the Detroit Trust Company. In 1871 he married Samantha Whitwood. Elisha and Samantha lived on Putnam Ave. in Detroit and raised two children James H. and Mary W.
Elisha Flinn’s son, James H. Flinn, was born in 1874. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. James Flinn devoted most of his business career to managing and supervising the iron ore activities in Minnesota. By 1899 the town of Eveleth and Elisha Flinn and his associates had a dilemma as iron ore had been discovered under the original town of Eveleth. To mine this valuable iron ore supply it would be necessary to move the town’s business district five blocks east. James Flinn temporarily relocated to Eveleth to supervise the move. He was responsible for installation of steam hoists which pulled the buildings up the town’s main street. Soon one-hundred buildings were moved safely onto the new main street allowing Flinn and his associates to profit from the previously unobtainable ore.
James Flinn married Ethel Garretson in 1906. Ethel and James raised three children, George, Ethel W. and James H. Jr. first on Seminole in Detroit and then in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. It was Ethel and James who set the course for the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation. They established a number of living and testamentary trusts that provided for distribution of the trust remainders upon termination to a philanthropic organization that would provide “for the support of research into the causes and/or research into the treatment of nervous and mental diseases.”
Ethel W. "Peggy" Flinn with her cousin and her lawyer established the Foundation in 1976. Her intent was to remember her parents, Ethel and James and her brother, James H., Jr. and to consolidate and direct the family's philanthropy toward the purposes already expressed by her parents in their trusts documents; “research into the causes and/or research into the treatment of nervous and mental diseases.” Peggy graduated from Columbia Presbyterian College of Nursing in New York as a registered nurse and was a volunteer nurse with the Red Cross during World War II. She was particularly interested in children and was a longtime and life member of the Board of Trustees of Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Her life passion was horses. She owned, rode and showed champion horses throughout the country. She was a life member of the American Horseshow Association. She provided initial funding to the foundation during her lifetime and left an endowment to the foundation on her death in 1994.
Jim Flinn, Jr. attended Princeton and Babson University. He was afflicted with schizophrenia in his early 20’s and following the death of his father in 1952 resided for the rest of his adult life at the St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The caregivers at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital provided a unique, close, caring and supportive environment that contributed to Jim’s long life and to his good quality of life. Jim’s interests were many and varied; reading, history, University of Michigan football, movies, gardening, bike riding and traveling. Helping the disadvantaged and philanthropy were of special interest to him. In later years he made substantial contributions to the foundation and to charities generally. Upon Jim’s death all of the Flinns’ interests were transferred to the foundation leaving as a legacy a philanthropic foundation that will improve the lives of those with mental illness.
The foundation
The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation was established in 1976 by Ethel W. “Peggy” Flinn to remember her parents Ethel G. and James H. Flinn and her brother James H. Flinn, Jr. and to provide a means for coordinating family philanthropy. The other founders and incorporators were cousin William Stevens and her lawyer, Leonard Smith. The Foundation was formed under 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as a “supporting organization” to be maintained for the benefit of public charitable beneficiaries named in the Foundation’s Trust Agreement and Articles of Incorporation. Effective January 1, 2005, the foundation was reorganized and reclassified as a private foundation under Section 501(c)(3).
As the Flinn Family was dedicated to finding causes of mental illness and to improving mental health treatment, the foundation’s governing instruments state that the endowment is to be held “…for the support of research into the causes and/or research into the treatment of nervous and mental diseases or, or for the specific programs or activities of the above beneficiaries…”. Prior to her death, Peggy expressed her desire that the Foundation become more involved in improving treatment programs and services for those with mental illness. Grantmaking was then directed toward research into, and evaluation of, the treatment of mental illnesses. Grants were made to the supported organizations named in the governing instruments. As a result of the reorganization in 2005 and the receipt of unrestricted assets upon Jim Flinn, Jr.’s death, the Foundation is now able to support programs and activities of non-profit organizations that deliver mental health care and services as well as the named supported organizations.
The Future
With increased assets in 2007, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees developed a transition plan to guide operations of the Foundation. The President, Leonard W. Smith, became Chair of the Board and Chief Investment Officer. The Foundation expanded its staff and hired Andrea M. Cole as the Executive Director. The Foundation then underwent a process to determine how best to invest its limited resources. Foundation staff held a series of meetings with numerous governmental, public and private mental health providers and general health organizations across southeast Michigan to assess the most pressing issues in the field, with the goal of identifying critical areas in which the Foundation could have a significant impact. It was through this process that the Foundation selected its three priority funding areas for 2008: