The Conversation Mari Kuraishi President of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund
Mari Kuraishi is president of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, where she leads work to create communities of belonging in Jacksonville and beyond. Named one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers for “crowdsourcing worldsaving,” she cofounded the crowdfunding platform GlobalGiving after many years at the World Bank, where she created and managed some of its most innovative programs. Fluent in several languages and having lived in multiple countries, Mari brings a unique global perspective to her work in philanthropy and community building.
What was it like growing up in several countries? Tell us when and how you ended up in the United States and ultimately at the Jessie Ball duPont Fund?
I was born in Japan and also lived in Italy and what was then West Germany before coming to the United States for college. Growing up in so many places was not always easy. I was often younger than my classmates or adjusting to a new language and culture. But in retrospect, those experiences shaped how I think about belonging. Sometimes I feel like I belong to many places, other times like I don’t fit in anywhere. I wouldn’t trade it, though, because it gave me the gift of discovery and the ability to adapt quickly and connect with people across cultures.
I began my career at the World Bank, later cofounded GlobalGiving—both of which created positive impacts for people across the globe. But the opportunity to impact the community I was living in drew me to the idea of working with the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.
As you celebrate The Jessie’s 10th anniversary and your fifth year at the duPont Fund, which project(s) are you most proud of working on during your time here?
First, let me start by saying that the transformation of the Haydon Burns Public Library into The Jessie has been a team project, or a relay race, one I am extremely proud of. The vision really came from my predecessor, Sherry Magill, and the trustees of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund at the time. They saw the opportunity to revive a historic downtown icon, breathing new life into downtown Jacksonville and meeting the community’s current needs. Second, we have created a community at The Jessie that goes beyond a traditional office building. This space supports nonprofits by providing a best-in-class environment featuring the services, technology, and meeting spaces that enable them to fulfill their missions. Finally, The Jessie is a place where we want all people to feel welcome. Whether someone comes into the building to receive services from one of our nonprofit tenants, to work at a new job in one of our tenants’ offices, or to celebrate a holiday or a wedding, this adaptive space meets the needs of countless community members and organizations.
What was the impetus for acquiring and restoring The Jessie?
Today, The Jessie is one of the largest and most active nonprofit centers in the country, but that wasn’t how it began. In 2012, Jessie Ball duPont Fund then-President Sherry Magill toured the vacant former public library building at 40 East Adams Street. The duPont Fund had been thinking about purchasing a property downtown for some time and after touring the space, Sherry and her team had a vision for the abandoned building to be able to serve Jacksonville’s vibrant—but sometimes disparate—nonprofit sector. The library had once been a vibrant community space, and the duPont Fund leadership saw the opportunity to return the building to that role.
The duPont Fund purchased the building for $2.2 million, paid $250,000 in unpaid taxes on the building and in June 2013, with the help of the innovative New Market Tax Credits program, began a $25 million renovation to convert the building into the center it is today. The Jessie was born as a program-related investment for the duPont Fund as we recognized its potential to continue its journey as a true community asset in Northeast Florida. Today, it remains an asset of the duPont Fund and we continue on the journey to its sustainable business model.
In 2017, The Jessie was home to 12 nonprofits and its mission was to connect and advocate for nonprofits. Today, The Jessie is home to 32 nonprofit organizations and mission-centered companies that strengthen our community every day. This progress is wholly thanks to the vision of trustees past and present, the perseverance of Sherry Magill, and the community-building work of Mark Walker, who worked as director of The Jessie for five years. From cultural events, live music, powerful speaker series, and the day-to-day work taking place within the walls of The Jessie, the impact of this building has gone far beyond that of an abandoned library.
In your words, how do the murals, rotating installations within the building, and the sculpture pay homage to the mission of Jessie duPont Fund? How does art help to uplift the space?
Our mission is to create communities of belonging in the places Jessie Ball duPont knew and loved, because people who feel they belong have the power to help find solutions to their community’s challenges. We know that art, specifically art representing the full range of history and experiences in a community, plays a significant role in helping people feel seen and welcome in a space, so the art at The Jessie is a direct extension of that mission. The Jessie itself is a work of art—a mid-century modern gem designed by renowned architect Taylor Hardwick—and it was originally designed as a library, which is to say it has always been a community hub. We see the addition of permanent public art installations and rotating exhibits further contributing to a meaningful and beautiful space where our community sees themselves represented. These commissions are also investments in the creative economy in Jacksonville, which research shows is a powerful driver of community opportunity and development. We believe artists should always be paid for their work, and that belief is reflected in how we work with artists at The Jessie.
What have you heard from members of the community regarding the art around the building?
We regularly hear from community members—tenants and non-tenants alike—that the investment in public art at The Jessie is a major factor in people wanting to spend time at the building. The art creates a welcoming environment for our tenants and their clients, it draws corporate and philanthropic leaders to host events here, and we even host weddings, thanks in part to our iconic art. We also hear from a lot of visitors that they weren’t familiar with the stories of the Jacksonville luminaries featured in our permanent exterior murals—even Jacksonville natives have learned more about our living history and our city’s ties to people like author Zora Neale Hurston, civil rights leader Rutledge Pearson, and educator Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole.
What do you love most about Jacksonville?
Jacksonville is hands down the most welcoming place I have ever worked, lived, or played in. And it has been welcoming in ways that go far beyond greeting me with home-baked cookies and bottles of wine on the day I showed up to take possession of our home in Avondale. It has made space for me not only to join the team but to shape that team and its strategy. Each community I’ve lived in has shaped me, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to connect those global experiences to the very local work of building a community I care deeply about.
