The leadership and impact of Jack Litzenberg

A black-and-white photo of a man seated in a chair and shaking hands with a woman who is standing next to him. The man and the woman are smiling at each other.

For nearly three decades, Jack Litzenberg helped to lead the Mott Foundation’s efforts to address poverty in the U.S. and expand opportunities for underserved people to succeed in both the classroom and the workplace.

Soon after joining Mott in 1984, he guided the launch of grantmaking that, in time, established the institution as a leading funder in the areas of microenterprise development and sectoral employment. He went on to serve in various key capacities, including as program director, within both our Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty programs. He also mentored and advised staff throughout the Foundation.

In 1994, the Council on Foundations honored Litzenberg with its Robert W. Scrivner Award (pictured above) for innovation and creativity in grantmaking, the highest award made by the council to a grantmaker.

In an interview shortly before his retirement from Mott in 2012, Litzenberg noted that his greatest satisfaction as a grantmaker came from “knowing that we’re helping to create lasting change for low-income families, keeping kids out of poverty and helping to stabilize their communities. It’s knowing that you’re benefiting people in the future based on the work that you do today.

“Doing this type of work is the best job in the world,” he said.

Litzenberg passed away in 2014, leaving a legacy of positive impact at the Mott Foundation, as well as among our grantees and the people and communities we serve.