Joe Selvaggio—2003-04 Louis W. Hill, Jr. Fellow

In its inaugural year, the Hill Fellowship was awarded to Joseph K. Selvaggio, whose career is as varied as it is unusual. Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Selvaggio attended Marquette University (majoring in math), followed by eight years of seminary training. After earning a B.A. in Philosophy from Aquinas University, he was ordained into the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church in 1965. His years as a priest (primarily in the South) were marked by a keen interest in civil rights. During his ministry at Holy Rosary Church in the Phillips Community in Minneapolis, he decided to leave the priesthood (in 1968) in order to address the issues of civil rights and social justice.

In 1972, he founded Project for Pride in Living (PPL), an organization created to address poverty issues in a south Minneapolis neighborhood by purchasing run-down, inner-city houses and then using a comprehensive approach to rebuild. The PPL motto—“Give me a fish and I eat for a day; teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime”—is descriptive of the commitment to do more than rebuild homes. The “rebuilding” of the neighborhood—by the neighborhood itself—addressed a rich set of goals: job training, youth development, public safety, better transportation, affordable housing, development of problem-solving skills, building a healthy sense of community, leadership development, planning for the future, and an overall engendering of self-sufficiency within the community. Mr. Selvaggio served as PPL’s executive director for 26 years, retiring in 1996 after completing a $4.5 million capital campaign and transferring the leadership to a new director, whose responsibilities would include oversight of an annual budget of over $7 million. That same year, Selvaggio was honored by Minnesota Monthly as Minnesotan of the Year.

In addition to his work with PPL, Mr. Selvaggio has served as a board member at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, often advising the hospital and Allina Health System on matters relating to community renewal and approaches to giving. In 1998, Abbott Northwestern joined with the Phillips Partnership (made up of various corporate organizations and governmental agencies) to raise $7.5 million for improvements to the community adjacent to the hospital, guided by a philosophy similar to PPL’s in accomplishing its goals.

In 1997, another of Mr. Selvaggio’s ideas took on life, with the founding of the 1% Club, an association of people of means committed to giving 1% or more of net worth or 5% of income, whichever is greater, annually, to the charities of their choice. Beginning with only a few individuals, the association now consists of nearly 2,000 members—each promising to give of their wealth to Minnesota charities, to the tune of over $100 million collectively per year.

Mr. Selvaggio’s community work is an example of philanthropy at its best—especially when it becomes contagious.