rip rapson is president and ceo of the kresge foundation an attorney and expert in urban policy rapson assumed leadership on july 1 2006 and quickly initiated a multiyear transition to expand and recalibrate kresges grantmakingstrategically focused programs seek to expand opportunities in americas cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture education environment health human services and community development efforts in detroitto facilitate that work rapson has put into practice the use of multiple flexible funding methods including operating support project support and programrelated investments these new tools complement kresges historic and formerly exclusive use of the facilitiescapital challenge grant in 2013 the board of trustees approved 316 awards totaling 122 million 128 million was paid out to grantees over the course of the year in addition kresges social investment practice made commitments totaling 177 million in 2013prior to joining kresge rapson was president of the mcknight foundation in minneapolis under rapsons leadership mcknight received the council on foundations inaugural paul ylvisaker award for public policy developed a farreaching regional growth program championed a statewide effort to advance early childhood development opportunities launched a businessled partnership to promote a metropolitan civic agenda and expanded its support for alternative energy and the protection of the mississippi riverrapson previously has served as a senior fellow at the university of minnesota where he led a multidisciplinary project focused on the challenges faced by aging innerring suburban communities address the challenges posed by declining tax revenues changing economic and social demographics and shifting political forcesbefore joining the university faculty he served for four years as deputy mayor of minneapolis where he was the architect of the minneapolis neighborhood revitalization plan a 400 million twentyyear plan to invest in the building blocks of minneapolis neighborhoods he came to the mayors office after spending eight years in private law practice at the minneapolis firm of leonard street deinard where he was a partner in the litigation and intellectual property divisions he received his law degree from columbia law school serving as the writing and research editor of the columbia journal of law and social problems before entering columbia he served for four years as a legislative assistant for us representative donald m fraser helping fraser shape and pass the landmark boundary waters canoe area wilderness act of 1978rapson is the author of two books troubled waters an account of the boundary waters legislative battle and ralph rapson a biography of his father the architect