Kalamazoo church donates its building to nonprofit, which seeks $7M in public and private donations

The Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition has been awarded $250,000 from the 2024 state budget. The organization, which was started 2017, makes its home in an 1853 building once owned by First Baptist Church.

Financial troubles in 2015 caused the congregation to consider shutting down, according to its website. The congregation says that it has donated the building to KNAC, which now bears the responsibility of managing, maintaining and upgrading it for the community’s benefit. The church still meets in the building on Sunday mornings.

Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition describes itself as providing “affordable, collaborative workspace for nonprofits, artists, and start-ups.” It seeks to preserve the building “in service to Kalamazoo’s long-standing legacy of performing arts and innovative entrepreneurship,” illustrated by a video that features a musician performing a J.S. Bach cello suite.

The coalition seeks $7 million in public and private donations to renovate and upgrade the facility, which it calls “an iconic piece of Kalamazoo history.”

The coalition did not respond to an email seeking comment.