Bertram J. Askwith and Indian Trail Foundation

Bert Askwith (1911-2015) was a University of Michigan alumnus and longtime friend of Wallace House. He generously supported the Knight-Wallace Fellowships and the Livingston Awards.

One of Askwith’s many gifts to both programs was the establishment of the Benny Friedman Fellowship in Sports Reporting. Friedman was the first Jewish captain of a major college athletic team and is credited with “perfecting” football’s forward pass. In June 2015, shortly before his death, Askwith bestowed a $1 million gift from his Indian Trail Foundation to start an endowment for the Livingston Awards.

Jeff and Melinda Fager

Jeff and Melinda Fager’s substantial donation helped create a multimedia editing suite at Wallace House. The facility offers the space and tools for Knight-Wallace Fellows to combine video, audio, photography, writing and editing capabilities and improve their multi-media skills.

Jeff Fager, former Executive Producer of the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” also generously donated his time every year to meet with Knight-Wallace Fellows.

James S. House and Wendy Fisher House

Their gift created the James S. House and Wendy Fisher House Social Science Fellowship to provide a journalist with a commitment to social science, data and survey research to participate in the Knight-Wallace Fellowship and collaborate with the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (ISR), the largest academic social science and research organization in the world. Their gift also includes funding for public events highlighting the tie between social science and journalism.

James House is a professor emeritus of survey research, public policy and sociology and is the former director of the university’s
Institute for Social Research. Wendy Fischer House is a psychologist. 

Ethical journalism and social science discover and transmit trustworthy truths about human relationships and societies. As such, they also bear the brunt of attack from those seeking to influence the flow of information for personal ends. We believe a closer connections between journalism and social science can help each to better understand, communicate with, and support the other.
– James S. House and Wendy Fisher House

Knight Foundation

The Knight Foundation is a major supporter of the Knight-Wallace Fellowships and the Livingston Awards. Thanks to the foundation’s support, six speciality fellowships have been established in business, education, law, medicine, transportation, environmental and international reporting. The Knight Foundation’s contributions have also supported fellowships for international journalists to study at the University of Michigan.

Since 2014, the Knight Foundation has provided more than $500,000 in matching grants to the Livingston Awards to support expanded digital media efforts and outreach events for award winners. The funding is matched by the University of Michigan and provides time for the prestigious awards to build a permanent endowment.

The Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. The Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed and engaged communities and lead to transformational change.

Geoff and Kristen Larcom

Geoff and Kristen Larcom are dedicated supporters of Wallace House, staying connected through their generosity and engagement with our programs. Geoff, a 2008-2009 Knight-Wallace Fellow, credits the programs lasting impact on fellows and its contributions to the community.

For former fellows, Wallace House remains a time of lifelong inspiration, insight and deepened professional and personal perspective. The program nurtures and advances the critical work of some of the world’s top journalists, while its outstanding local programs and events help our community understand the central role the media can play in preserving our democracy.
– Geoff Larcom KWF ’09

Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation

The Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation is a cornerstone supporter of the Livingston Awards, generously contributing each year to sustain the program’s mission. Established by Mollie Parnis Livingston, who created the Livingston Awards in 1981 to honor her son, Robert, the foundation served as the sole financial supporter for more than three decades.

We’re privileged and proud that the Livingston Awards program is where it is today. The original idea — to recognize the very best young journalists — is still the core value here.
– David Hochman, President of the Board, Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation

Dr. Gilbert Omenn and Martha Darling

Gil Omenn and Martha Darling pledged $500,000 to the Livingston Awards endowment to secure the program’s future.

Omenn served as executive vice president for medical affairs and as chief executive officer of the University of Michigan Health System from 1997 to 2002. He was dean of the School of Public Health, and professor of medicine and environmental health at the University of Washington, Seattle, from 1982 to 1997. He was also associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget in the Carter administration.

A noted conservationist, Darling is a National Wildlife Federation Action Fund board member, which honored her contributions with its achievement award. Retired from a senior management position at Boeing, she has consulted on education policy for the National Academy of Sciences and chaired the boards of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

LaVerne Pager

LaVerne Prager generously established and endowed the Karsten Prager Fellowship in International Journalism. Named in honor of her late husband, who served as managing editor of Time International from 1991 to 1995, the specialized fellowship is awarded each year to an American journalist covering foreign news. Thanks to her support, more than 20 journalists have been able to participate in our fellowship program as Karsten Prager Fellows.

Dug and Linh Song

Dug and Linh Song pledged a $1 million challenge grant to launch the Great Lakes Local News initiative, a specialized fellowship dedicated to revitalizing local news across the midwest Great Lakes states. Their transformative gift through the Song Foundation has inspired additional support from organizations and helped establish an endowment to ensure the program’s long-term sustainability. Beyond their financial support, the Songs generously give their time, actively engaging with our fellowship class each year. Dug, a Wallace House Executive Board member, is a regular — and favorite — seminar speaker.

Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation

Since 2019, the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation has been a vital supporter of the Livingston Awards, helping sustain the program and bolster the careers of young journalists. Their most recent five-year pledge was a gift to honor Ken Auletta for his four decades of dedicated service to the Livingston Awards and Anne Curzan for her contributions to Wallace House as an executive board member, fellowship speaker and advisor.