Letter from the President

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has so deeply impacted our community, the Hudson-Webber Foundation wanted to express our concern and hope for the continued health and safety of all of you who are our grantee partners, our colleagues, and our friends. We are writing to share how the Foundation has changed our work and responded to support our grantees and the Detroit community.

Foundation staff are working remotely, conducting all business electronically and telephonically. Please know that we are equipped to conduct all business activities without disruption. If you have questions related to your grant such as information about payments, reporting, or other activities, including whether grant obligations can be modified in light of unforeseen hardship, please contact us and we will respond promptly.

As a response to the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on Detroit’s economy and communities, the Hudson-Webber Foundation has approved the following grants:

• $250,000 to United Way for Southeast Michigan in support of the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, which has been established to rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations offering emergency relief to families and individuals impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic in Detroit and the region.

• $250,000 to the New Economy Initiative’s (NEI) Small Business COVID-19 Relief Fund to provide immediate funding, offset loan payments, and leverage the coordinated system of small business support that exists in Detroit.

• $100,000 to the Detroit Public Schools Foundation (DPSF) as fiduciary agent to the Connected Futures Initiative, which will provide Detroit Public School students and families with devices, connectivity and technology support to continue to access learning during the COVID-19 school closure period and beyond.

• $25,000 to the United Way for Southeast Michigan to support the Tech Fund which will provide Detroit youth, specifically students enrolled in charter schools, with devices, connectivity and technology support to continue to access learning during the COVID-19 disruption to traditional in-school instruction and beyond.

In addition, in response to the significant operational and programmatic disruption created by the COVID-19 crisis, we have converted program grants to unrestricted operational support for several grantee partners, and have also advanced 2020 grant payments for all 24 of our Detroit Arts Support (DAS) grantees.

We have pulled together some informational resources that may be particularly helpful for nonprofit organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some are from national organizations, and some are from nonprofit partners here in Detroit.  As more resources become available, we will continue to share them with grantees through email, or through our social media channels on LinkedIn , Facebook, and Twitter (@hudson_webber).

• Michigan Community Resources has been offering legal and workplace information for how nonprofits keep their staff and clients safe.
• Act Detroit shared this resource for nonprofits. [Note new link]
• Co.Act Detroit shared this resource for nonprofits on communications related to COVID-19.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy has provided this resource for How Nonprofits Can Apply for Loans and Other Emergency Benefits
• The NAACP shared this important piece on the equity implications of the COVID-19 outbreak both in terms of increases of stereotypes and discrimination, particularly in Asian American communities, as well as how marginalized communities may be adversely impacted.
• The United Way of Southeast Michigan is providing services, resources, and funding to immediate, emergency responses to COVID-19 and the economic impacts.
• Information for small businesses and those that serve them can be found here, from the New Economy Initiative.

Finally, we want to hear from you.  How is COVID-19 and the State’s response impacting your organization and the communities you serve?  What are your biggest concerns?  The philanthropic community in Detroit is actively in conversation together about how to best respond and support residents and communities and any actions we take should be well informed by you- our partners on the ground.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with feedback or ideas over email, or to set up a call to talk.  Our contact information is below:

Via Phone

(313) 963-7777

Via Email

• Melanca Clark, President mclark@hudson-webber.org
• Fay Saad, Administrative Specialist, fsaad@hudson-webber.org
• Michael Shaw, Program Director, mshaw@hudson-webber.org
• Heidi Reijm, Program and Learning Officer , hreijm@hudson-webber.org

These are unprecedented times, but we want you to know that we are here and are committed to standing with our resilient grantees, partners, and community to face the challenges to come.

All my best,

Melanca Clark