KALAMAZOO, MI — The Foundation for Excellence (FFE) is impacting Kalamazoo neighborhoods, though it can be a challenge to visualize all the different things the donated pot of money is funding.

A new interactive dashboard unveiled this week makes some of the financial details about FFE-funded projects readily available to residents. The dashboard starts on a landing page, where users can select to view details and locations of property tax savings, as well as projects throughout the city.

Find the dashboard online at: Kalamazoocity.org/ffedashboard

Tabs allow users to view each category split into years of 2017, 2018 and 2019, the first three years of FFE operations, and the dashboard allows users to click for details on expenditures in each neighborhood. Users can also use arrows at the bottom of the dashboard to cycle through data pages available.

“We put this out there in a way that private foundations don’t because we feel that it’s been asked and that it’s expected of us,” FFE Coordinator Steve Brown said. The dashboard will be updated annually or as needed, and will be a powerful tool to look back in a decade to see what has been done, Brown said.

The Northside neighborhood has the highest level of spending listed for projects over the three years, with about $3.99 million for things such as road and infrastructure improvements, park improvements and affordable housing initiatives.

Projects in the central business district include $107,000 for a public restroom planned for the neighborhood, a railroad crossing motor vehicle routing system for $350,000, and $10,000 for “utility box art.” It lists $46,000 for Bates Alley improvements.

Property tax savings for property owners throughout the city are based on a reduction of taxes from 19.2705 mills to 12 mills through FFE funding, saving the owner of a $100,000 market value home $363 annually.

The Milwood neighborhood experienced $4.26 million in tax savings over the three years, the highest in the city. The map and accompanying data shows the tax savings by neighborhood, and shows the ratio of rental units vs. owner-occupied homes; and the percentage of residential, commercial and industrial properties. Users can search the same details for every neighborhood.

Brown said the dashboard was developed with the help of city staff over several months, and invites residents to explore the data. It is part of the commission and the FFE board’s directive to have maximum transparency and accountability.

The FFE was created when wealthy businessmen William Parfet and Bill Johnston offered a $70.3 million joint donation in 2016. The donation not only replaced enough revenue to stabilize the city’s budget, it was used to subsidize a property tax cut and fund community projects.

Brown made a presentation to the city commission on Oct. 7, showing a proposed budget of how $25 million in FFE money will be spent in Kalamazoo in 2020.

On Oct. 7, the city commission accepted an updated grant agreement, representing about $57.7 million in new money for the FFE, to be added to the city budget and to fund property tax cuts, through 2022. An agreement about additional funding to extend aspirational projects is expected to be finalized before the end of 2019, Brown said on Oct. 4.

The money accepted this week was donated by the Stryker Johnston Foundation, founded in 1995 by Ronda Stryker and her husband, Bill Johnston, with a mission to partner with organizations and initiatives working to strengthen and build thriving, equitable communities. Ronda Stryker is a director of Stryker Corp., which was founded by her grandfather, Homer Stryker.

The Stryker Johnston Foundation could not be reached for comment.