# McGregor Fund McGregor Fund is an Endowment / Foundation based in Detroit, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation - **Headquarters:** Detroit, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** Detroit, MI, United States - **Founded:** 1925 - **Assets under management:** ~$203 million (Altss estimate) - **Website:** mcgregorfund.org - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/themcgregorfund ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About The McGregor Fund was established in 1925 by Tracy W. McGregor and Katherine Whitney McGregor, whose philanthropic capital originated from Katherine's father, lumber magnate David Whitney. Its mandate is a regional one: to relieve the misfortunes and promote the well-being of vulnerable people in Metropolitan Detroit. The foundation operates from the Talon Centre, a commercial property it owns at 100 Talon Centre Drive — sharing the building with the like-minded Skillman Foundation. The endowment's investment posture is distinct from its grantmaking. The fund deploys capital across a wide range of strategies including distressed debt, natural resources, buyouts, and secondaries. Real assets and energy holdings are evident through its ownership of oil and gas limited partnerships and the Talon Centre itself. The portfolio also reflects a willingness to engage in special situations, co-investments, and turnaround plays, creating a capital base that is more illiquid and opportunistic than a typical foundation's. President Kate Levin Markel anchors the fund's internal governance, while Chair Joyce E. Jenereaux leads the board. The team actively participates in the Council on Foundations and the Council of Michigan Foundations, with Markel serving as a peer lead for the Executive Network of Midsize Foundations. In a notable convergence of its investment and civic identities, the fund partnered in the Detroit Institute of Arts' 'Grand Bargain' during the city's 2014 bankruptcy settlement, drawing on both its financial assets and its deep local institutional relationships. The McGregor Fund's structural differentiator is its hybrid role as a commercial property owner and local philanthropist. Its headquarters at the Talon Centre generates investment returns while serving as a physical hub for Detroit's philanthropic community alongside the Skillman Foundation. This operating asset, combined with legacy holdings like the McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University and an oil and gas partnership portfolio, gives the fund an unusual balance sheet composition for a regional foundation. ## Sectors - Private Credit - Real Estate - Energy Transition & Renewables - Secondaries & Special Situations ## People - Kate Levin Markel — President - Joyce E. Jenereaux — Chair of the Board of Trustees ## Questions ### How does the McGregor Fund's investment portfolio differ from its grantmaking strategy? The fund maintains a clear separation between its investment activities and its philanthropic mission. Grantmaking focuses exclusively on relieving concentrated poverty in Detroit's tri-county area. The investment portfolio, by contrast, operates opportunistically across distressed debt, natural resources, buyouts, and secondaries, including direct holdings in oil and gas partnerships and the Talon Centre commercial building. This structure allows the endowment to pursue absolute returns well outside the foundation's programmatic geography and sector focus. ### Who runs investment decisions at the McGregor Fund? The fund's investment operations are managed internally under the leadership of President Kate Levin Markel and the oversight of the Board of Trustees chaired by Joyce E. Jenereaux. The exact internal delegation of investment committee authority is not publicly detailed. The team draws on professional networks including the Council on Foundations and the Council of Michigan Foundations, with Markel holding a peer leadership role in the Executive Network of Midsize Foundations. ### What role did the McGregor Fund play in the Detroit bankruptcy? The McGregor Fund was a partner in the 'Grand Bargain,' the 2014 settlement that helped resolve Detroit's municipal bankruptcy while protecting the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts from liquidation. The fund participated alongside other local and national foundations to raise $816 million, which offset pension cuts for city retirees and transferred the museum into a charitable trust. Its involvement leveraged both its financial capacity and its century-long institutional presence in Detroit. ### Does the McGregor Fund maintain any physical or real estate assets beyond its grantmaking endowment? Yes, the fund owns several real assets that blur the line between mission and investment. It holds the Talon Centre, a commercial office property that also serves as its headquarters, co-located with the Skillman Foundation. Additionally, the fund owns the McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University and holds defined oil and gas limited partnerships, making its balance sheet more real-asset-intensive than a typical foundation. ### How is the McGregor Fund related to Wayne State University? The relationship is historic and physical rather than operational. The McGregor Memorial Conference Center on Wayne State's campus is owned by the fund, a legacy gift from its founders. The fund's archival records are held at the university's Walter P. Reuther Library. There is no current financial or governance dependency between the two institutions. ## Related profiles - [Frederick Health](https://altss.com/profile/frederick-regional-health-system) - [Ohio Northern University](https://altss.com/profile/ohio-northern-university) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/mcgregor-fund Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology