The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan seeks effective program and project ideas that can improve life in southeast Michigan, specifically in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston Counties. The Community Foundation provides grants considering various local needs and identifying those projects which promise the strongest long-term impact on the region. In general, the foundation funds projects and programs in the areas of arts and culture, education, health, human services, civic affairs, neighborhood and regional economic development, workforce development, and environment and land use. In addition, the Community Foundation identifies key concerns and develops and implements large-scale, multiyear, regional initiatives to address the specific concerns, as well as opportunities, on a regular basis. The Greenway Initiative, which is a comprehensive effort with the goal of expanding and enhancing the region's natural landscape, and the New Economy Initiative, which is aimed at helping to restore southeast Michigan to a position of leadership in the new global economy, are two recent initiatives for which the foundation seeks applicants. A variety of national and local donors to the foundation have established funds with special purposes, such as improving neighborhoods or supporting youth programs. Guidelines for each fund, as well as a list of recent grants, are located on the foundation's web site. The funds are:
(1) Comerica Bank Community Economic Development Fund, which supports predevelopment costs of low-income housing projects and other neighborhood-based economic-development projects;
(2) Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund, which provides broad support for projects that benefit youth;
(3) Detroit Neighborhood Fund, the goal of which is to stimulate investment in neighborhoods on Detroit's near-east side. Grants from the fund support innovative, large-scale efforts to transform neighborhoods, as well as efforts to strengthen community involvement and leadership of those who live and work in this area, particularly as it relates to redevelopment occurring along the East Riverfront, Downtown and in Midtown;
(4) HOPE Fund which supports projects that benefit the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities; and
(5) JP McCarthy Fund which makes grants for high quality research in the area of hematological diseases. While the Foundation supports a range of projects and organizations, it is particularly interested in projects that: (a) reflect regional thinking and cooperation; (b) promote civic participation; (c) foster innovation and entrepreneurialism; (d) respond to a unique opportunity to move the region forward; (e) improve the quality of nonprofit organizations; and (f) leverage public and private resources. Low priority is given to requests for ongoing operational costs, capital campaigns, annual fund drives, conferences or other one-time events.
Since its founding in 1984, the Community Foundation has distributed more than $295 million in more than 29,000 grants to charitable projects in southeast Michigan's seven-county area. With more than $670 million in assets, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan ranks among the top 30 community foundations in the nation in terms of total assets and grantmaking. Periodic press releases contain descriptions of recently selected grants are available at the Press Room section of the foundation's web site: http://www.cfsem.org/press_room/index.html.
Before applying, review grantmaking guidelines and call the foundation to discuss the proposed program with staff, in order to avoid spending unnecessary hours and resources preparing a proposal that does not have a clear possibility of being funded. A foundation representative will advise applicants of any targeted grantmaking opportunities that have special application requirements. Application guidelines are available here: http://www.cfsem.org/grants/how_to_apply/PDFs/CF_GuidelinesSinglePages.pdf