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Turning points move the Foundation into new directions and a new future.
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Through the mid-1970s, the Foundation was supporting a variety of programs:
- Expansion of the William Mitchell College of Law
- A need for the new Children's Hospital to share space with United Hospital
- Restoration of the Old Federal Courts Building into Landmark Center
- Creation of the then-Ordway Music Theatre (now Ordway Center for the Performing Arts)
 Ronald M. Hubbs served as president of Fire and Marine (now Travelers Inc.) from 1963 to 1973. During his tenure, the Saint Paul Companies Inc. was created as the holding company and parent to Fire and Marine. He retired in 1977 and was named chairman of the board to the company.
Active in various educational, civic and philanthropic organizations, and a longtime advocate of adult literacy programs, Hubbs was named chairman of the F. R. Bigelow Foundation in 1974 when it faced a key turning point in its history.
After 30 years of doing business the same way, the board realized that this approach no longer worked well. The Foundation still was relatively small and grantmaking had slowed. The trustees agreed to take a year off to regroup and plan for the future.
New laws and a changing investment environment made it the right time to diversify the Foundation's portfolio, which had done well over the years with Fire and Marine stock.
Grantmaking policies also were reviewed during this time, and procedures for investments and grantmaking were formalized.
For the first time, the Foundation's focus was formally defined: grants were to be restricted to Minnesota, and primarily to the greater Saint Paul area, with a few current exceptions.
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In 1976, the Foundation reported $355,000 in unrestricted funds. Rather than simply reviewing and approving or denying grant requests, the Foundation now could allocate funds to develop programs that addressed needs in the Saint Paul area.
Housing, human service needs, downtown development and the "front ending" of important projects now could be considered. These new initiatives would become the Foundation's special projects and a great strength.
In 1980, the F. R. Bigelow Foundation became a client of The Saint Paul Foundation. Assets had increased to more than $15 million.
The trustees understood that the new special projects required a new approach. A consortium of funding partners was put together for each project.
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 In 1984, the F. R. Bigelow Foundation joined The Saint Paul Foundation, Mardag Foundation, Cowles Media Foundation and the St. Paul Companies (now Travelers Inc.) to create Literacy Resources Inc. The initiative quickly grew into the statewide program, Minnesota Adult Literacy Campaign, a five-year effort to teach 200,000 illiterate adults to read.
In May 1985, the Technology for Literacy Center was created as the first program to use computer technology to help illiterate adults improve their reading, writing and mathematical skills. F. R. Bigelow Foundation contributed $245,000 to the $1.8 million project.
By the late 1980s, the Foundation launched the Lifelong Literacy Initiative to provide better programs and more collaboration among agencies offering literacy services to adults.
The Literacy Initiative became the foundation for the Ronald M. Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning, named in recognition of Hubbs' commitment to literacy and his belief that "people can't lift themselves out of poverty if they don't know how to read." The Hubbs Center opened in 1994.
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