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Our journey won’t be without bends or curves as we continue to learn and grow with you all, but rest assured we’re resolutely committed to amplifying your work with the Great Lakes, arts — including jazz education — Alzheimer’s research, and sustainable business.
- A new grantmaking area focuses on democracy, with a goal of strengthening efforts that promote voter engagement and access to the ballot in Southeast Michigan – particularly for those who have been historically targeted by voter suppression. Legacy giving will be another new program area and enable the Foundation to support organizations and causes that would have had personal significance for Fred and Barbara Erb.
- Enviromental justice will continue to guide our grantmaking. Rather than a standalone focus area, it will be a lens for our Great Lakes and sustainable business portfolio. Similarly, climate change will be another lens applied to the two focus areas. We’re also expanding the geographic scope of Great Lakes grantmaking beyond Southeast Michigan and Bayfield, Ontario to support efforts across the Great Lakes ecosystem.
We're also thinking about what the future looks like for our grant partners after we conclude our grantmaking. So, we’re going to provide more robust capacity building for grant partners and find more ways to pass the torch and inspire a new generation of leaders and like-minded people who care about the same issues as us.
We appreciate what you do to create a more vibrant and healthy metro Detroit and Great Lakes. I’d also like to extend my gratitude to all who shared their ideas, feedback, and participated in interviews and focus groups throughout our strategic planning process.
Lastly, you may have noticed our new logo (and shortened name). This look, and our refreshed website, will guide us through our final decade and is representative of how we want to connect, flow, and grow with our grant partners, colleagues in philanthropy, and other collaborators. I encourage you to browse it and learn more details about our grantmaking areas and guidelines.
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