COVID-19 Emergency Grantmaking
Our COVID-19 emergency grantmaking supported community based organizations and networks new to the Fund, as well as traditional social service agencies, to quickly and flexibly respond to the compounding health and mental health, basic needs, and economic hardships experienced at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
News & Insights
From grantmaking updates to sharing what we’re learning from our community, grantee partners, and peers, we invite you to learn more about our ongoing work here.
“Investing in Us” Report Released
Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan's "Investing in Us" report combines Detroiters’ stories and neighborhood-level improvement plans into a “unified city-wide vision of economic well-being.”
Highlighting the Work of Our Grant Partners
Download the "Advancing Workforce Equity in Metro Detroit: A Blueprint for Action" report: plcylk.org/wfe-detroit
Strategies outlined include:
📌 Establishing a unified collaborative to align workforce initiatives and help workers and job seekers navigate support and training services.
📌 Strengthening education, training, and employment opportunities and wraparound support for young people and adult learners.
📌 Promoting policy solutions and supporting worker power and advocacy to raise the floor on low-wage work.
📌 Building robust data collection and measurement tools to track worker outcomes, identify opportunities for employers, and inform system improvements.
📌 Supporting employers to transform workplace cultures and adopt equitable practices in hiring, retaining, and promoting career development for workers of color.
Learn more from the Detroit Area Workforce Funder Collaborative: detroitareaworkforcefunders.org
#WorkforceEquityDetroit
Advancing Workforce Equity in Metro Detroit: A Blueprint for Action | National Equity Atlas
plcylk.org
Advancing Workforce Equity in Metro Detroit: A Blueprint for Action Download pdf Overview In the years following the Great Recession, Metro Detroit showed promise of a strong economic rebound. But new..."You can have a Walmart move into a neighborhood and they can provide plenty of food and address food insecurity, but all the profits are extracted from the community. What we’re trying to do is activate the agency within our community so that people see themselves as having the ability to shape not only the food system but also the other systems that have influence over our lives." - Malik Yakini, Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. #granteepartner
Co-Op Grocery Stores Expand Their Mission to Equity and Food Justice
civileats.com
As the country faces unprecedented labor and social upheaval, grocery co-ops are embracing deeper approaches to addressing systemic racism."Asking a homeless trans woman, 'What makes you feel safe?' and building accordingly can save lives as well as demonstrate the value of design for people who need it far more than most." #granteepartner Ruth Ellis Center
In Detroit, a Home for LGBTQ Youth Balances Being Seen With Being Safe
www.bloomberg.com
With a mix of health services and affordable housing, the new Ruth Ellis Clairmount Center seeks to provide a secure space for a uniquely vulnerable community.
"What if we see being unhoused as a condition that is shaped by many forces and systems outside an individual’s control, and therefore amenable to system reforms that might actually prevent emergency situations, while also providing clear routes out for those who do end up in crisis?"
📌Put housing first.
📌Think through a systems lens and work toward systems change.
📌Elevate and support the contributions of people who have experienced homelessness.
📌Prioritize young people.
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Housing and Homelessness: Breaking Down Silos for Systems Change (SSIR)
ssir.org
Lessons for funders and social change leaders in search of the best ways to collaborate across sectors to end homelessness.