Initiatives and Programs

To maximize our positive impact on the region, the Community Foundation develops and implements large-scale, multi-year regional initiatives and programs on a regular basis. Working with donors, nonprofit organizations, civic leaders, local and national experts, and members of the southeast Michigan community, the Community Foundation identifies key concerns and develops initiatives to address specific concerns, as well as opportunities within the region.
  • In 2006, the Community Foundation received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of its Access to Recreation Initiative, which supports innovative projects that engage people of all abilities and increase recreational opportunities for a broader constituency. The initiative also aims to increase public awareness of the issue of accessibility and encourages the development of a more inclusive physical environment as the norm, not the exception.

  • Building upon the Community Foundation’s work on the Greenways Initiative and The Great Outdoors Initiative, the Foundation began to identify opportunities to more specifically address the epidemic of childhood obesity in our region. The Community Foundation invested in several programs and outreach strategies within schools, hospitals, public health agencies, public television and radio and other nonprofit organizations that were addressing many of the risk factors that lead to childhood obesity.

  • The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan recognizes that over the next 25 years the projected doubling of the region's aging population will have profound implications for every aspect of life in southeast Michigan. The Community Foundation envisions southeast Michigan communities  that are desirable places for all persons to age and live healthy, empowered and productive lives where whatever one has to contribute makes a difference.

  • Detroit - The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan released a preliminary report today on the amount of operating funds generated for the 75 arts and cultural organizations participating in the “Community Foundation Challenge—Arts and Culture.”

    Recognizing the important role that arts and cultural institutions play in enhancing the quality of life throughout the region, and in light of the current economic climate, the Community Foundation partnered with the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan to launch the Community Foundation Challenge—Arts and Culture.

  • Southeast Michigan, in spite of enormous economic challenges, is becoming a more confident and hopeful place. Leadership is coalescing to reinvigorate the region’s economy and improve the quality of life in urban areas. Nowhere is this more evident than in Detroit where the International Riverfront is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Similarly, Downtown and Midtown are emerging as lively communities with new housing, businesses, shops and restaurants.

  • In the spring of 2007, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan formed the Detroit Safe Community Collaborative. This was an outgrowth of the work of the Hudson-Webber Foundation and its long commitment to working with the community to enhance safety for residents, businesses and visitors.
  • Attachment:
    2012 Plan: A Vision of Greenways for the Greater Riverfront East District of Detroit


    Connecting people, communities and nature throughout southeast Michigan

  • The Award
    The Mariam C. Noland Award for Nonprofit Leadership annually recognizes a nonprofit leader whose service to his/her institution exemplifies the importance of personal commitment to philanthropy. The Award also recognizes the importance of nonprofit leadership that influences beyond the confines of the institution served, and affects the larger philanthropic community in a positive way.

  • Beginning this year, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is engaging in a new partnership with the Michigan Cultural Data Project (Michigan CDP). The first management tool of its kind, the Michigan CDP is a state-wide, collaborative effort of public and private funders throughout Michigan and consists of an online system for collecting and standardizing historical financial and organizational data.