The Kresge Foundation centers equity as one of its organizational values. Equity to us means that all people — regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, zip code, health and ability status, or any other consideration — have equal and inviolable dignity, value, and opportunity to participate justly, fairly, and fully in all dimensions of civic and economic life . . . to prosper . . . and to reach their  full potential.

Since this country’s inception, every facet of community life has been shaped by pervasive, enduring, corrosive, and invidious structural and institutional impediments to racial equity and racial justice. The progress toward urban opportunity to which Kresge is dedicated cannot be accomplished without an explicit acknowledgement that these impediments have caused communities of color to suffer systemic and systematic underinvestment, active disenfranchisement, pernicious prejudice, and visceral intolerance. Kresge’s mission will be realized only when those impediments have been dismantled and pathways of equitable opportunity substituted in their place.

We commit to examining in all ways and at every opportunity how our foundation’s work can repair, heal, and renew communities to be places where diversity thrives, where inclusion and belonging is the norm, and where equity in all its forms is the outcome.

That commitment begins inside our own organization. We welcome difficult conversations and commit to continuous learning about how to do better. Through critical examination of the values, implicit biases, policies, and practices that drive both our internal culture and external engagements, we will strive to fashion an institutional role that propels, rather than impedes, progress for the communities we aim to serve.

We are unequivocal in our commitment to equity. We invite all to join us in it . . . hold us to it . . . help us deepen it . . . and persevere until we achieve it.