“The Gift of All” is a documentary about philanthropy, but more broadly about community building in Grand Rapids. Completed in 2009, the film features clips of interviews with 28 Grand Rapids philanthropists, the majority of whom were wealthy, socially prominent and seventy years old or older at the time. Some younger interviewees were included largely so that their parents' contributions would be represented. The SOUL group also attempted to represent diversity in the selection of interviewees. In general the project captures the voice of the generation that grew up during the Great Depression, lived through World War II, observed the decline of the central city and urban renewal, and subsequently contributed to the revitalization of downtown by supporting its higher education, entertainment and health care industries.

The insight offered by “The Gift of All” is important but is limited by what is achievable in a roughly 50 minute documentary. Future researchers will find the broader collection rich in raw materials that they can put to a variety of uses. Each interview is an approximately two hour conversation with an important witness to the twentieth century development of the city of Grand Rapids. Most interviewees were key figures in the advancement of the community as well as generous and honest with their observations. Researchers will find history of local institutions, interpretations of developments and personal recollections.

Users will also find an impressive range of media to choose from within the collection. Interviews can be read, listened to or watched. Since the SOUL group was a temporary collaboration, all material and the rights to it were given to GRPL. Any subsequent broadcast of the documentary must be arranged through GRPL (see the head of the local history department). While the paper transcripts will probably be most comfortable for those simply interested in the information, the collection contains the documentary and the interviews in a variety of formats, including digital and broadcast quality.