On July 12, 2017 the McGregor Fund announced recent grants to 42 Detroit, Michigan-area nonprofits working to alleviate poverty and strengthen social supports for the region’s most vulnerable teens and adults.
They are the first awarded under the Fund’s new grantmaking framework released in February. The grants total over $5.5 million and include: $2.3 million for basic human needs such as food, shelter, and access to primary medical care; $1.7 million for holistic, personally transformational skill building programs that lead to broader work and educational opportunities; $1.0 million to support recovery and restorative pathways for people who have experienced abuse, trauma, and/or substance abuse disorders; and $600,000 to support tools for civic engagement, organizational capacity building, and safety net systems-focused work.
“We’re honored to provide support to this broad array of partners, who work tirelessly to empower Detroiters to pursue opportunities to improve their lives despite difficult, and at times multiple obstacles born of poverty,” said McGregor Fund President, Kate Levin Markel. “We are committed to showcasing our area’s most innovative and effective safety net organizations, and contributing to a broader community dialogue around how to do a better job of supporting our less fortunate neighbors.“
The McGregor Fund is a private foundation established in 1925 by gifts from Katherine and Tracy McGregor “to relieve the misfortunes and promote the well being of humankind.” The geography of principal interest is the city of Detroit and Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, and grantmaking prioritizes basic needs, recovery and restoration, and transformational skill building opportunities for teens and adults living in poverty.
The McGregor Fund has granted nearly $242 million since its founding and had assets of $162 million as of June 30, 2016.