Larry Bell Does It Again! Makes Another Generous Donation in Kalamazoo

The man behind Bell's Brewery has been keeping busy since retiring last December. After recently making a $1 million donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Great Kalamazoo, Bell has now made another generous contribution, this time to his alma mater Kalamazoo "K" College.

On February 7, 2022 the college announced that Bell had made a $5.25 million donation in support of the college's Brighter Light campaign. An endeavor by alumni and friends of Kalamazoo College, the Brighter Light campaign asks, "those who have witnessed its impact in the community and around the world–to sustain and enhance our endeavor to bring a brighter light to the world."

Get our free mobile app

Funds from Bell's gift will be allocated to the Center for Environmental Stewardship which aims to "enable a greater number of students to incorporate sustainability and environmental themes into their scholarly and creative work." Additional funds will go to support students in financial need through his Larry J. Bell ’80 Endowed Scholarship which was established in 2017, in addition to the Kalamazoo College Fund.

Since graduating in 1980 Larry Bell has been a longtime active supporter of the college. After receiving a degree in political science Bell went on to found Bell's Brewery, one of the largest independent craft breweries in the country, and was recently named the Environmentalist of the Year by the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter. In November 2021 Bell announced the sale of the brewery to Australian distributor Lion and he officially retired at the end of the year.

Says Bell,

“I am proud to support Kalamazoo College with this gift and I look forward to seeing the resulting positive outcomes for K’s students”