Why Memphis & New Orleans?

Memphis and New Orleans are home to both tremendous assets and high levels of need.

Our hometown of Detroit and New Orleans share stories of community resilience – the capacity of communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and disinvestment. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina proved a galvanizing moment for our work in New Orleans. We increased our support for the city and its people and responded strategically to bolster the city’s recovery. The result was over $12 million dedicated to recovery across an array of disciplines. We’ve remained engaged ever since.

In Memphis, we have mirrored our Detroit efforts to spur equitable growth by investing in four areas: planning and collaboration; community development systems; neighborhood revitalization; and leadership and organizational development. Our work reflects the belief that investments in systems must happen alongside direct investments in community capacity to ensure the scope and scale of development is shaped by residents.