Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announces more than $17 million in grants during first quarter

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and its supporting organizations provided combined grantmaking of more than $17 million during the first quarter to support nonprofit organizations and local governments working to make a positive, permanent impact in our region.

The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved $17,289,000 in grantmaking during its first quarter meeting, including grants for supporting organizations and nonprofits working to advance arts and culture, community development, education, environment, health, human services, and youth throughout southeast Michigan.

First-quarter general grantmaking program highlights include the following.

ARTS & CULTURE 

• Belle Isle Conservancy — $75,000 for the modernization of the historic Belle Isle Aquarium and the continuation of community and educational programs 

• Chaldean Community Cultural Center — $50,000 for an expansion of digital storytelling programming to inform the public about the history and culture of Chaldeans in Michigan 
• Chamber Music Society of Detroit — $32,650 to improve webcasting system quality and capacity which will enhance online concert programs and services to students, senior citizens, and collaborating organizations 
• Cranbrook Educational Community — $75,000 for expanding access to the Cranbrook Art Museum and Cranbrook Institute of Science to more residents of southeast Michigan 
• Detroit Opera — $100,000 for increasing the diversity of the contemporary opera repertoire through the development of a new, Spanish-language co-production 
• Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Inc. — $100,000 to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion by developing assessment tools across initiatives 
• The Zekelman Holocaust Center — $125,000 for developing and displaying a transitional core exhibit for visitors to have an engaging, educational museum experience during the renovation of the permanent exhibit 
• Wayne State University — $75,000 for the ArtsHUB pilot of family wellness-focused arts programs in partnership with Brilliant Detroit 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 

• Jefferson East Inc. — $75,000 for restructuring the organizational model of its development-focused subsidiary, East Jefferson Development Corporation  
• Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan, Incorporated — $65,000 for an expanded curriculum and services for opportunity youth  

• Michigan Nonprofit Association — $75,000 for Data Driven Detroit and the implementation of the third phase of the Neighborhood Vitality Index pilot project, a community-driven framework that measures progress and positive change in Detroit’s neighborhoods  

EDUCATION 

• Designconnect — $50,000 for the development of a creative design curriculum and program expansion to schools in Detroit 
• Michigan Science Center — $100,000 for a multi-faceted set of efforts fostering playful STEAM learning and creative problem-solving in children 

ENVIRONMENT 

• Ecology Center, Inc. — $100,000 (over two years) for developing and implementing collaborative research and education programs to improve both environmental and public health 
• Regents of the University of Michigan — $30,000 for a pilot project to help develop the renewable energy and irrigation capacity of urban farms in Detroit

HEALTH 

• Detroit Public Safety Foundation — $50,000 for the implementation of a risk reduction and wellness program for Detroit Police officers and to reduce community civil rights violations  
• FoodCorps, Inc. — $58,200 for a district-wide school meal planning pilot in partnership with the Detroit Public Schools Community District Office of School Nutrition 

• Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County, Inc. — $70,000 to develop the operational and safety procedures for the newly constructed Shalom Community Kitchen  
• Oakland University — $56,000 to formalize a recovery program for students with substance use disorders  

HUMAN SERVICES 

• Friends in Deed Support — $35,000 for an evaluation and program expansion of Circles, an intensive empowerment program to get families out of poverty  
• Lutheran Adoption Service, Inc. — $75,000 to expand a diverse child matching program for children in foster care  

• Starfish Family Services, Inc. — $65,000 for staff training and equipment to relaunch home-based behavioral health services in Detroit and Out-Wayne County  

YOUTH 

• 826 Michigan — $75,117 for poetry field trips, after-school tutoring activities, and workshops in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Detroit  
• Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy — $50,000 for an expanded youth social entrepreneurship program 
• Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars Support — $70,000 for a curriculum development for a post-secondary academic support program 

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