A local philanthropist tells John Gallagher of the Free Press he’ll donate $5 million toward protecting the Detroit Institute of Arts’ renowned collection and city retirees’ pensions — and he hopes to inspire others to give.
Gallagher writes:
Millionaire A. Paul Schaap said he plans to meet today with U.S. Chief District Judge Gerald Rosen, who is serving as mediator in Detroit’s bankruptcy case. Rosen has been trying to persuade at least 10 charitable foundations to put up $500 million to spin off the DIA from the city, which could then use the money to reduce pension cuts and improve services.
“I have to believe there are more of us out there who want to do something and didn’t quite know how to approach it,” Schaap said.
Schaap's donation would mark the first time a Detroit-area benefactor has publicly agreed to give money to help resolve the toughest issues in Detroit’s bankruptcy — pensions and DIA art, according to Gallagher.
Schaap said he hoped his gift would stimulate major foundations to agree to participate in the Rosen-mediated fund. So far, leaders of 10 local and national foundations who have met with Rosen have yet to commit. One of Rosen’s goals is to turn the DIA into an independent nonprofit free of city ownership and protected from creditors seeking billions and pushing for the sale of city assets.
Rosen is working on what the Free Press calls a "grand bargain" -- trying to persuade 10 foundations to pony up $500 million to acquire the art institute, freeing it from city control, and reduce pension cuts.
Schaap is founder, president, and CEO of Lumigen Inc., in Southfield, which provides chemical compounds to aid in new detection technologies for clinical laboratory and life-science research. Schaap founded Lumigen in 1987 and is a retired chemistry professor from Wayne State University, where he has endowed a chemistry building.
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