SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
In Detroit and across Southeast Michigan, the William Davidson Foundation is working with our grantees and other partners to expand the number of good jobs and enhance our collection of great places. Together we see these as essential ingredients for a growing, connected community.
Good Jobs
Detroit once defined what it meant to have a good job and a middle-class life; it can do so again. Good jobs offer a sense of dignity, the promise of economic stability, and a path to prosperity for individuals and families. They can provide opportunities for people to grow into new roles or careers as markets and technologies inevitably evolve.
Great Places
The Detroit region is home to a beautiful public riverfront, boasts world-class museums and performing arts organizations, and offers easy access to a variety of sports and recreation activities. Upgrading our parks, museums, and other cultural and communal institutions is an investment in our future, as they factor into where new businesses open and play a role in both retaining residents and attracting new talent.
The William Davidson Foundation’s grantmaking and other activities in support of Southeast Michigan reflect themes that cut across our full portfolio.
Entrepreneurship and Creativity
In Southeast Michigan, we are investing in efforts to stimulate the creation, growth, and retention of new businesses in technology, innovation, and other high-potential market sectors and industries that will yield good jobs for future generations.
Gathering Spaces
In Southeast Michigan, we are enhancing and expanding access to longstanding cultural institutions, developing significant parks and plazas, and supporting family-oriented programming in neighborhood parks along the Woodward Avenue corridor.
Leaders Who Educate and
Promote Understanding
We are working with various partners to create and promote experiences that will instill a sense of pride and optimism among those already connected to our region and that will also help attract further investment, tourism, and new residents to the metropolitan Detroit area.