Enterprise Community Partners has announced grants totaling $11 million from the Ford, Kresge, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., and W.K. Kellogg foundations in support of Detroit nonprofits that serve or are led by Black, Indigenous, or other people of color.

Part of Enterprise's Equitable Path Forward initiative, the Community Development Organization (CDO) Fund will distribute the money over the next two years to help drive community development and an equitable recovery from COVID-19 in the city. Launched in 2020 with a $2.7 million commitment from Kresge and Ford in support of twenty-four Detroit-based CDOs, the fund will use the grants to expand the work of those organizations and at least four additional CDOs. According to Enterprise, the CDO Fund's streamlined application process saves valuable CDO staff time, while the flexibility built into the fund enables it to meet the needs of unique organizations and helps ensure the equitable distribution of resources based on geography, race, and ethnicity.

"Resident-led community-based organizations with adequate resources are a must if we want to see equitable development that benefits all Detroiters," said Wendy Lewis Jackson, managing director of Kresge's Detroit Program. "In a city distorted by racism for generations, empowering Black, Indigenous and people of color leadership, in particular, is a must if we want a just future for all."

"As we continue to invest in collaborative programs and initiatives aimed at supporting inclusive economic growth across the city of Detroit, the CDO Fund fills a critical piece of those efforts by ensuring direct support is also getting to the groups and organizations that know the needs and opportunities of their communities best," said Lavea Brachman, vice president of programs at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. "In addition to supporting the individual organizations, the fund also bolsters the CDO ecosystem broadly, which is beneficial for individual neighborhoods as well as the city as a whole."