Six nonprofits receive funding to expand housing access, strengthen neighborhoods and support community-led initiatives
DETROIT – The Hudson-Webber Foundation’s (HWF) Board of Trustees has approved a total of $5,400,000 in new grants to several select nonprofit organizations across metro Detroit driving positive change and leading empowering programs and initiatives that directly impact residents throughout the city
Organizations receiving funding are CHN Housing Partners, Detroit Future City, Enterprise Community Partners Detroit,Force Detroit, Invest Detroit Foundation and Midtown Detroit, Inc.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 our commitment to the partners that are doing the hard, collaborative work of strengthening Detroit neighborhoods and expanding opportunity for residents,” said Donald Rencher, president and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. “Whether it’s improving access to housing, advancing community-based safety strategies, supporting neighborhood development organizations or driving data-informed policy solutions, these organizations are working to build the systems and conditions needed for a more equitable, resilient and thriving Detroit.”
The list of approved grants include:
Community & Economic Development
- Detroit Future City (DFC) has been awarded a $250,000 general operating grant to support research and community engagement programs that aim to reduce barriers to equitable community and economic development across Detroit. DFC is a Detroit-based think-and-do tank dedicated to improving quality of life by increasing the number of resilient, thriving neighborhoods that attract and retain residents of diverse incomes and backgrounds, while addressing systemic barriers to opportunity and expanding pathways to income and wealth for long-time residents.
- CHN Housing Partners has been awarded a $100,000 grant from HWF to strengthen implementation capacity for the Detroit Housing Network (DHN) and its single-family housing strategy in neighborhoods across Detroit. The funding will support efforts to help Detroit residents achieve and sustain homeownership while advancing the network’s goal of establishing DHN as a trusted resource for homeownership support and housing stabilization across the city.
Built Environment
- The HWF Board of Trustees has approved a $1.5 million grant to provide support to Enterprise Community Partners Detroit to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of Detroit’s community development organizations (CDOs). These organizations play a critical role in supporting residents across the city through housing, workforce, education and community-based services.
- The HWF Board of Trustees has awarded a $750,000 general operating grant to Midtown Detroit Inc. (MDI) to support the organization’s work advancing coordinated planning, stakeholder engagement and inclusive district growth in Midtown and New Center. As a key anchor institution, MDI plays a central role in shaping long-term development strategy, aligning public and private investment and strengthening the capacity of the district to support continued population and economic growth. This funding will help rebuild and sustain core organizational capacity to lead community planning efforts, support small business stability and guide future investment in one of Detroit’s most important employment and innovation corridors.
- The Invest Detroit Foundation has been awarded a $1.2 million grant from HWF to support the Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Development Initiative, which will advance community and economic development and placemaking efforts in neighborhoods along the Greenway. The initiative will focus on strengthening local commercial corridors, supporting small businesses and increasing access to economic opportunity. Funding will enable strategic property acquisition, support developer engagement and launch a placemaking and activation grant program to foster vibrant, walkable neighborhood environments.
Safe & Just Communities
- ForceDetroit has been awarded a $1.5 million general operating grant to advance its Community Violence Intervention (CVI) work. The funding will support sustained, intensive CVI services in targeted Detroit neighborhoods, strengthen coordination and technical leadership across the city’s CVI ecosystem and continue organizing and advocacy efforts to secure long-term structural funding for community-led safety strategies. CVI approaches violence as a public health crisis that can be addressed through evidence-informed, community-driven solutions that reduce reliance on criminalization while expanding economic opportunity. With capacity-building support from local foundations, including HWF, Force Detroit has emerged as an effective intermediary helping strengthen Detroit’s capacity to build and sustain neighborhood-based safety initiatives.
The HWF Board of Trustees also approved an additional $100,000 in support for the mayoral transition fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, bringing the Hudson-Webber Foundation’s total commitment to $300,000.