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The Kresge Foundation on Monday announced grants totaling $2 million to 17 nonprofits for projects to revitalize neighborhoods across Detroit, including converting a blighted five-block stretch of the Morningside neighborhood into an agricultural greenway.
This marks the final round of grants in the Kresge Innovative Projects, bringing the total to $5 million since being announced three years ago. The grants range from $75,000 to $150,000.
One upgrade will rehabilitate a west-side house and convert it into a free medical clinic, a community food hub and a small residential space. The house will be part of nearby Auntie Na's House on Yellowstone Street, a community outreach center where kids go after school to eat, play, create art, take care of her chickens, plant gardens. The house also provides a safe space for women and children who need to leave a dangerous situation. Six generations of Auntie Na's family have lived in Auntie Na's House and helped promote the community. (See photo above)
“Kresge’s Detroit Program believes that revitalization of city neighborhoods by and for the needs of residents is the key to Detroit’s continuing revival,” says Wendy Lewis Jackson, managing director of the Kresge Foundation Detroit Program. “Through Kresge Innovative Projects: Detroit we’ve been able to support the imagination and know-how of neighborhood organizations in making transformative changes in the communities that they know better than anyone else.”
The 17 projects, spread through all seven City Council districts, are:
Allied Media Projects and The Aadzookaan, Southwest: Rehabilitate a vacant building in Southwest Detroit into a space for community-based artists rooted in indigenous practices. Goals of “The Aadzookaan Headquarters” include engagement of youth and elderly residents while building skills in entrepreneurship, media technology, music education and cultural preservation. (Council District 6)
Auntie Na’s House, Petoskey-Otsego: Rehabilitate a house to create a free medical clinic, a community food hub and a small residential space. Community members will be employed in the rehabilitation of “Auntie Na’s House.” The free clinic will be staffed by the Wayne State University School of Medicine. (Council District 7)
The Brightmoor Alliance and Sidewalk Detroit, Brightmoor: Pair artists with community members and organizations at Eliza Howell Park for 6-12 week residencies to design and implement participatory performances, workshops, classes and park improvements. This grant will support transformation of portions of the park’s largely untouched 200 acres with functional installation art. (Council District 1)
Central Detroit Christian Development Corp., Piety Hill: Rehabilitate a duplex as a commercial space and arts studio. Near Woodward, the project aims to creatively adapt an unused building and lot into a community asset to anchor neighborhood retail development and cultural activities. (Council District 5)
Corktown Economic Development Corp., Corktown: Install planters along the protected bike lanes on Michigan Avenue to promote safer biking and walkability. Residents will collaborate with neighborhood artists in design of the planters to reflect the area’s diversity. (Council District 6)
Eastside Community Network, Chandler Park neighborhood: Install a rain garden learning lab on vacant land across from Hamilton Academy, the neighborhood’s only public school. The lab will include rain gardens, other green infrastructure and an outdoor classroom for school-age children and for adults seeking master rain garden certification. (Council District 4)
EcoWorks, Cody Rouge: Creation of “Hope Park,” designed using environmental principles as a community space on a vacant lot across from Cody High School. This effort is led by led by students at Detroit Institute of Technology College Prep High School, one of three high schools sharing space at Cody High School. Hope Park is to serve as an outdoor classroom for the high school and nearby middle schools. (Council District 7)
Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp., Grandmont Rosedale: Create a new community hub along the neighborhood commercial strip on Grand River Avenue. “The Annex” will join a block of recently opened, locally owned, independent retail stores. The flexible space will offer food, art, music and retail on a rotating basis to draw residents and tourists, and enliven the street. (District 1)
Heritage Works, North Corktown: Transform and link green spaces, parks and vacant land throughout North Corktown using Detroit Future City designs for vacant lots. The resident-led process will embrace values of equity and sustainability to create “sense of place” guidelines for the neighborhood. (District 6)
LifeBUILDERS, Regent Park neighborhood, eastside: Seal abandoned buildings open to trespass, maintain vacant properties and beautify empty lots. This community stabilization, preservation and maintenance effort is intended to preserve dozens of properties as part of a neighborhood rehabilitation plan. (District 3)
Oakland Avenue Artist Coalition, North End: Create a multipurpose art and performance pavilion and make other enhancements to MOORE Community Park to celebrate the North End’s cultural history and resident artists. The effort also includes green infrastructure elements to increase the park’s sustainability. (Council District 5)
Osborn Neighborhood Alliance, Osborn: Begin a tree and shrub nursey on eight adjacent vacant parcels and create a sunflower labyrinth in Calimera Park as an environmental education tool for neighborhood schools. (Council District 3)
Power House Productions, Banglatown: Enhance Ride It Sculpture Park for greater accessibility and install equipment for multi-seasonal and multi-generational use. One goal is to increase cultural exchanges in this diverse neighborhood on the Detroit-Hamtramck north border. (Council District 3)
Southwest Detroit Business Association, Southwest Detroit: Renovate the second floors of four commercial buildings on West Vernor Avenue to create 10 housing units. More than 80 commercial building in the area have vacant second floors; this pilot project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of such conversions for a safer, more active business corridor that will keep more young adults in the neighborhood. (Council District 6).
U SNAP BAC, Morningside: Begin transformation of a largely vacant, half-mile stretch of Barham Street into an innovative public greenway and “farmway.” The blighted area that includes 68 publicly owned vacant parcels currently attracts dumping; U SNAP BAC envisions closing the area to vehicle traffic and opening it to small-scale agricultural enterprises that provide access to fresh food. (Council District 4)
University of Detroit Mercy, Fitzgerald: Revitalization of several alleys between University of Detroit Mercy and Marygrove College, an area near McNichols that is often referred to as College Core. Led by the UDM’s Detroit Collaborative Design Center, the project’s goals include ensuring a sense of community ownership and use of the space. (Council District 2)
Woodbridge Neighborhood Development Corp., Woodbridge: Enact a plan to calm traffic and improve walking and biking connections within Woodbridge and to the broader Midtown community, including the Woodward Corridor and the QLine. The Walk Woodbridge plan includes physical improvements as well as programming, education and advocacy. (Council District 6)
