Leading Philanthropist Kenneth N. Dayton Dies at Age 80

Kenneth N. Dayton, a leading business and individual philanthropist in Minnesota and nationwide, died at his Minneapolis home on July 20, at age 80, of complications from refractory anemia.

Dayton retired as CEO of the Dayton Hudson Corporation in 1976, and left the company's board in 1983. During his time as an executive of the company, he continued to advance the company's commitment to give 5 percent of pre-tax profits to charity - a tradition the company began in 1946.

In his personal life, Dayton and his wife Judy donated millions to local arts, education and other charitable causes. His foundation, the Oakleaf Foundation, was the third-largest Minnesota grantmaker to the arts in 1997, according to the Minnesota Council on Foundations' "Giving in Minnesota" report, giving $9.16 million to the arts that year. That year the foundation gave large one-time grant to arts endowment trusts to benefit several prominent arts and cultural groups in Minnesota: The Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Public Radio, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Walker Art Center.

The Oakleaf Foundation ranks as the 14th-largest private foundation in Minnesota and the 31st-largest grantmaker overall, according to the Council's latest grantmaker rankings, which are based on 2001 data. The foundation gave grants totaling $4,268,500 that year. The foundation's top grant recipients in 2001 included Abbott Northwestern, which received a $3.2 million grant, the Minnesota Orchestral Association ($555,000) and the Minnesota Children's Museum ($100,000).

In 1999, Dayton shared his personal philosophy on philanthropy in "The Stages of Giving," published by Independent Sector in Washington, D.C. In the publication, Dayton described his nine-stage giving process to help others learn how to move from what he called a minimal response to a creative and thoughtful maximum giving strategy.  

More Information

Kenneth N. Dayton's "The Stages of Giving":

• "The Stages of Giving" Summary (PDF, 1 page). 
     
• Minnesota Toolkit for Giving, for more information on "The Stages of Giving."

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