​The Kentwood Community Foundation will enhance the Stauffer-Kentwood Foundation’s work and use its resources to spark a deeper culture of community philanthropy in Kentwood. The Bowen family settled around 44th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue in 1834 and purchased a farm. In 1836 they received the deed to their property signed by President Andrew Jackson. The home and surrounding area are now designated as a Kentwood Historic District. In 1856 the family donated land for the first school in Kentwood that was built near the present-day intersection of 44th and Kalamazoo. They later donated land for the Kentwood Public Library. The Bowen name appears in many places around Kentwood: Bowen Elementary School, Bowen Street, and Bowen Park among a few.  Bowen family members formed the Stauffer-Kentwood Foundation with the intent to benefit the residents of Kentwood. The existing Board of Directors decided in early 2015 to utilize these resources to further address the needs of residents and leverage other philanthropic resources, bringing about the creation of the Kentwood Community Foundation.