NOURISHING
REGIONAL
WELL-BEING
Spring 2024 REPORT
Seeds planted in another season are unfurling today as vivid yellow and green splashes of spring throughout our region. A similar cycle of growth and change is underway at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
These past 40 years have been a time of pivotal changes in the wider world, as well. For example, back in 1984, the public internet and social media didn’t exist, few people had cell phones, and many business records were scratched out by hand on paper. More recently, we’ve experienced the stress of a global pandemic, the climate crisis, and a national racial reckoning that exposed deep-seated, systemic disparities in our society.
These changes, which dovetailed with significant leadership shifts and staff growth at the Community Foundation, inspired us to evaluate our position and ensure we have the right priorities, strategies and technologies in place to lead our region into a brighter future.
That’s why, in 2022, we embarked on a multiphase strategic planning process with deep reflection and thoughtful input from our Board of Trustees, donors, funders, professional advisors, community partners, staff, expert consultants and the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
We sought to adapt our approach to meet evolving community needs, align with advances in technology, and integrate diversity, equity and inclusion into all of our work.
Agency endowment helps cancer support nonprofit Gilda’s Club secure its future
Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit works to uplift and strengthen people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care. The nonprofit recently established an agency endowment fund with the Community Foundation to build its long-term sustainability.
Healing curriculum reconnects urban Native youth with culture
American Indian Health & Family Services in Detroit developed an innovative curriculum, with financial support from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, to promote resilience among urban Native youth and to create a model that similar communities nationwide can utilize.
DMC Foundation transition boosts Community Foundation commitment to health
As a supporting organization of the Community Foundation, the DMC Foundation promoted the well-being of people in metro Detroit by supporting health-related research, education and community benefit activities. Since 2013, the DMC Foundation awarded more than $20 million in grants focused on improving the health of communities in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
The DMC Foundation reached the end of its 10-year term as a supporting organization on Dec. 31, 2023. It was then dissolved, and its assets were distributed to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
Community Foundation, partners strengthen regional food security
Despite soaring food insecurity over the past few years, which has persisted into 2024, a future when our food system is equitable, sustainable and able to meet southeast Michigan’s needs is possible.
That’s why the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan takes a multifaceted approach to food insecurity in the seven counties we serve. The Community Foundation supports nonprofits that meet emergency food needs, as well as innovative projects designed to increase food access, destigmatize food insecurity and provide education so individuals — and our entire region — can thrive.
News Briefs
Learn about the recent Community Foundation networking event featuring esteemed public health expert Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha. Discover the collaborative efforts of the NFL Draft and Project Play, addressing the healthcare talent gap with the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership’s strategic approach to cultivating a robust talent pipeline, and how the Foundations on the Hill event connected philanthropy and legislation.