Welcome to the first issue of our Kresge Detroit Program newsletter.

Every other month or so, we will be in your inbox with updates on an array of our partners across Detroit and beyond — nonprofits, governmental units, intermediaries and grassroots groups — who are collectively and inclusively creating a new vision of progress and equity.

Seven years ago, our Detroit Program made a decisive shift, what we called a pivot to the neighborhoods, to ensure that the energies of revival that had been nurtured in downtown and Midtown also reach out and into the city’s 139 square miles. The progress to renew the physical, social and civic infrastructure of our neighborhoods has not been as rapid as we or anyone would have hoped — nor has it been without grievous setbacks, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic that tore through our community and whose aftershocks continue to rattle us.

But the progress continues, the momentum, as I wrote to Kresge’s Board of Trustees at the end of 2022, continues to build. That’s testament to our partners, particularly those working in resident-driven organizations in neighborhoods. That’s one thing these newsletters will be about: Highlighting the organizations doing the heavy lifting of community renewal.

At the same time, we also want to let you know us a little better, to give you some insight into what we’re doing and what drives our Detroit Program team members, how we understand the challenges and opportunities of our work.

You’ll see think pieces by me and other team members; you’ll see Q&As with team members and partners. Sometimes, we’ll share some of the articles that have grabbed our attention — even some of the music that we’ve been streaming and the relevant movies and shows that we’ve been watching.

We’ll also share some of the work of our national program colleagues who, like us, work to expand opportunities in cities across the nation with a special focus on Detroit along with Memphis and New Orleans.

You can read the first issue of the newsletter here. If you find this newsletter useful, please share it and let others know they can sign up for this newsletter, not to mention Kresge Weekly News, the foundation’s weekly newsletter. The signup form is here. And we want to hear from you about our newsletter and our work. Email us at [email protected].