Funding will support youth justice reform, increased access to capital for Black business owners and comprehensive election coverage
DETROIT –The Hudson-Webber Foundation Board of Trustees has approved nearly $2.9 million in grants to support initiatives that strengthen Detroit’s built environment, foster inclusive economic growth, and advance racial equity and civic engagement. These grants will fund key projects that enhance public spaces, stabilize neighborhoods, and expand access to capital for historically underrepresented communities, youth justice reform efforts and comprehensive election coverage for Detroit voters. Through these strategic investments, the foundation reaffirms its commitment to fostering a more equitable and prosperous Detroit.
Organizations receiving funding are Black Leaders Detroit, Council of Michigan Foundations, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Develop Detroit, Inc., Eastern Market Corporation, Invest Detroit, Michigan Center for Youth Justice, Midtown Detroit, Inc., New Detroit and The Center for Michigan. The funding enables new and ongoing projects to address the evolving needs of Detroit communities, while also enhancing the impact of the Foundation’s traditional funding strategies.
“These investments reflect Hudson-Webber Foundation’s deep commitment to Detroit’s people and neighborhoods,” said Donald Rencher, President & CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. “By investing in critical areas such as neighborhood stabilization, economic inclusion, public safety and civic engagement, we are supporting the organizations and leaders who are making a tangible impact in our communities. Whether it’s strengthening the riverfront as a world-class public space, expanding access to capital for Black entrepreneurs, or ensuring Detroiters are informed and engaged in the electoral process, these initiatives help build a stronger, more inclusive city for all.”
Built Environment
The Hudson-Webber Foundation (HWF) Board of Trustees has recommended a $261,534 grant to the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) to support the development of future philanthropic leaders by funding a Hudson-Webber Foundation Philanthropy Fellow. HWF and CMF co-designed this fellowship to facilitate the recruitment, hiring and supervision of a fellow who will research policy issues affecting quality of life and shared prosperity in Detroit. Their work will span HWF’s four mission areas, with a particular focus on economic development and the built environment. The fellow will participate in CMF’s Public Policy Committee meetings and affinity groups, represent HWF in state and local collaborations, and assist in planning HWF’s Strategic Learning Meetings to advance its geographic priorities. Additionally, they will help align each mission area with HWF’s overall strategic plan and prepare grant recommendations and related materials.
The HWF Board of Trustees has awarded a $1 million general operating grant to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (DRFC) to support its operations, ongoing maintenance and expansion of Detroit’s riverfront and connecting greenways. This investment helps sustain the riverfront as a beautiful, exciting, safe and accessible world-class resource for all residents of the city and region. The Detroit Riverfront remains a vital asset and celebrated landmark, as well as a welcoming public space for Detroiters and visitors and a catalyst for economic development in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. HWF Trustees and staff are committed to supporting DRFC in stabilizing these invaluable public spaces, ensuring high-quality and accessible programming, retaining its talented team and expanding the greenway’s footprint for a vibrant future.
Develop Detroit, a nonprofit real estate developer specializing in affordable and mixed-income housing, has been awarded a $100,000 general operating grant to support innovative housing projects in strategically targeted neighborhoods. The grant will help fund several key initiatives, including a performance and education space for Heritage Works, a youth arts program – and HWF grantee, a modular multi-family rental housing project and the Henry Ford Health System Future of Health community land trust housing project. Committed to revitalizing Detroit’s neighborhoods, Develop Detroit works to build and preserve high-quality housing that allows residents to live, work and thrive.
The Eastern Market Corporation has been awarded a $250,000 grant to support Detroit’s Choice Neighborhoods Planning and Engagement Project. The Choice Neighborhoods program mobilizes public and private investment to drive locally led strategies that revitalize struggling neighborhoods with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing. The program aims to transform neighborhoods by revitalizing severely distressed public and assisted housing while sparking critical improvements in surrounding areas, including vacant properties, housing, businesses, services and schools. This grant will help advance these efforts in Detroit, fostering long-term revitalization and economic opportunity. It is built around three core goals:
- Replacing distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality, mixed-income housing;
- Improving outcomes for residents in targeted housing, focusing on employment, income, health and children’s education; and
- Creating conditions that attract public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods, strengthening community stability and growth.
The HWF Board of Trustees has approved a $500,000 grant to Invest Detroit for the Midtown Real Estate Stabilization Fund. Invest Detroit, a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), administers funds to promote social welfare and address neighborhood challenges such as unemployment, inadequate housing and limited economic opportunities. The Midtown Real Estate Stabilization Fund is a financial initiative supporting Invest Detroit’s acquisition and management of Midtown Detroit Inc.’s real estate portfolio to ensure the district’s continued growth and stability. This fund helps Invest Detroit maintain and market properties, sustain affordable rents and strategically transition assets to private sector ownership while supporting small business development and economic activity in Midtown and New Center.
The HWF Board of Trustees has awarded a $400,000 general operating grant to Midtown Detroit Inc. (MDI) to provide core operating for the organization to promote stabilization and growth as it emerges from a period of transition. MDI has played the lead development role and serves as the primary steward for investment in infrastructure, planning and cultural programming in Midtown Detroit.
Community & Economic Development
The HWF Board of Trustees has awarded $50,000 to Black Leaders Detroit (BLD) in the form of general operating support. This grant would support BLD in accelerating inclusive economic growth by expanding access to capital for Black entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders who have historically been excluded from traditional funding sources. Structural barriers such as systemic lending discrimination, lack of generational wealth and restrictive banking policies have long prevented Black business owners in Detroit from accessing the financial resources necessary to scale their businesses. Since launching in 2019, BLD has reached over 8,000 members and provided over $2.8 million in no-interest loans to 148 Black-owned businesses and over $1 million in unrestricted grants to more than 500 businesses and nonprofit organizations, totaling more than $4 million in direct community investment.
Safe & Just Communities
The Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ) has been awarded a $50,000 general operating grant to support HWF’s Safe & Just Communities objective, reducing crime and victimization through innovative, racially equitable strategies that enhance community well-being. Founded in 1956 as the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency, MCYJ is the state’s oldest nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to criminal and juvenile justice reform. A key policy and public engagement partner in HWF’s juvenile justice reform efforts, MCYJ is also a core grantee of the Michigan Justice Fund. MCYJ focuses exclusively on youth justice policy reform, using research, community organizing, training and technical assistance to amplify community voices in policy discussions and promote alternatives to detention and incarceration.
Policy & Research
The HWF Board of Trustees has approved a $200,000 grant to the Center for Michigan to support BridgeDetroit’s in-depth coverage of the city’s 2025 elections. BridgeDetroit is a nonprofit news and engagement organization that amplifies the issues Detroiters identify as most important to their lives. This grant will enable BridgeDetroit to host multiple candidate meet-and-greet forums and provide continuous election coverage, including candidate vetting, issue guides, Q&As, key race developments and voter turnout trends. Additionally, it will support robust social media outreach, comprehensive voter guides for both the primary and general elections and the launch of the “Detroit Next Project” – a biweekly podcast accompanied by video, audio and social media content analyzing civic engagement in Detroit. The funding will also support the publication and distribution of at least three editions of BridgeDetroit’s print magazine across the city.
The HWF Board of Trustees has awarded New Detroit a $50,000 general operating grant to support its ongoing efforts to dismantle racism and advance racial equity in Southeastern Michigan. Through education and collective action, New Detroit works to transform hearts, minds, policies and systems. Founded in the aftermath of Detroit’s 1967 civil disturbance, New Detroit was established under the leadership of the late HWF Trustee Joseph L. Hudson, who brought together business and civic leaders to address race-related issues. For over 50 years, it has served as a vital platform where leaders from Detroit’s business, civic, grassroots and religious communities collaborate to develop strategies and demonstrate a commitment to racial equity.