Kresge, Erb and Hudson-Webber Foundations commit more than $11.2M to 107 arts organizations

One hundred and seven arts and cultural organizations in the Detroit metropolitan area will share more than $11.2 million in multiyear general operating support.

This multi-year funding initiative, known as Detroit Arts Support (DAS), is a collaboration between The Kresge Foundation, the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, and Hudson-Webber Foundation. The program aims to strengthen the sector broadly through consistent support for a diverse set of organizations.

A white house with blue trim and the sign Hitsville USA above the proch. — The Motown Historical Museum, a recipient of a Detroit Arts Support grant, is planning a multi-phase, $75 million expansion that will grow the museum campus to a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art entertainment and education facility.

Grant recipients range from small to large organizations, spread throughout the region, including Motown Historical Museum, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum. (See the full list of grantees here).

The three participating foundations came together to use one shared application and review process, while still making their own independent funding decisions. This collaboration made things easier for nonprofit arts organizations and created space for shared learning, stronger relationships and better data to guide each foundation’s support for the field.

“Arts and culture are not separate from the work of building equitable cities — they are central to it,” said Wendy Lewis Jackson, managing director of Kresge’s Detroit Program. “These organizations create jobs, develop young talent and offer spaces where Detroiters see their experiences reflected and valued. Sustaining them is an investment in Detroit’s present and its future.”

Strengthening the arts and culture sector in Detroit

Detroit Arts Support grants provide unrestricted operating support to nonprofits in the performing, visual and literary arts, as well as to arts service, education, media and broadcasting, and cultural organizations.

“The organizations supported through Detroit Arts Support strengthen our region in countless ways,” said Melissa Damaschke, president of the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation. “These nonprofit organizations’ commitment to preserving cultural traditions, nurturing emerging talent and engaging communities is what keeps Detroit’s creative spirit alive. This funding simply reinforces the resilience that these arts organizations need to continue this essential, creative work.”

General operating support is not tied to a specific initiative, allowing nonprofits to use these grants to support their day-to-day work, and lessen the impact of unexpected costs such as canceled gigs or shifting funding priorities. This type of support for an organization’s core work helps them to sustain and grow their business over an extended period of time.

“The arts bring people together, reflect and celebrate our shared identity and strengthen the fabric of our community, while also serving as a vital economic driver for Detroit and the region,” said Donald Rencher, president and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. “Our commitment to Detroit Arts Support builds on the foundation’s longstanding mission to invest in arts and culture organizations that enrich the lives of Detroiters and ensure residents have access to high-quality cultural experiences from across the city, the nation and the world.”

A mass crowd of people watch an outdoor jazz performance in downtown Detroit — The 2025 Detroit Jazz Festival attracted over 300,000 attendees to downtown and midtown Detroit during Labor Day weekend.

Detroit Arts Support also aims to provide added value to nonprofit arts groups beyond grant funding. This cycle, each DAS grantee will receive a financial report prepared by TDC, the nonprofit finance firm that analyzed all applicant financial statements. The reports offer insights into organizational financial health, planning considerations and broader sector trends that can help inform future decision-making.

The Fred and Barbara Erb Family and Hudson-Webber Foundations announced their funding recipients in October 2025, with Kresge making its decisions in December. Grants from the individual foundations generally range from $5,000 to $100,000 per year based on size of organization. Eligibility criteria included 501(c)3 status, having at least one employee, annual revenues of at least $100,000, and a record of presenting programs for at least two years.

Kresge awards grants to 83 organizations

Kresge launched the Detroit Arts Support initiative in 2007, and the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation began partnering with Kresge on the application and review process in 2010. The Hudson-Webber Foundation joined the collaboration prior to the launch of the 2019–2022 cycle.

CultureSource, a coalition of more than 200 nonprofit arts organizations in Southeast Michigan, serves as the administrator for the DAS initiative, coordinating the collaboration of funding partners.

The organizations receiving funding from Kresge through the Detroit Arts Support initiative include:

Performing Arts: Theater & Dance

A Host of People
Detroit Opera
Detroit Public Theatre
Detroit Puppet Company
Detroit Repertory Theatre
Eisenhower Dance Detroit
Macomb Center for the Performing Arts
Matrix Theatre Company
Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
Planet Ant Theatre
Plowshares Theatre Company
Shakespeare in Detroit
TeMaTe Institute for Black Dance & Culture
The Senate Theater