Detroit, Mich. – Eight new community investments from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, including funding for a new approach to the revitalization of Detroit neighborhoods, join efforts under way to help build the Next Detroit.

While the new grants, approaching $7 million, focus on different aspects of Detroit and its citizens’ lives, all continue to help with the city’s ongoing revitalization and economic turnaround, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s neighborhood initiative and the city’s valued arts institutions.

“These grants are supporting the city’s efforts to become the Next Detroit. We are supporting the city plan for neighborhood revitalization while partnering with other foundations and local leaders in order to move the city forward,” said Brenda Price, Knight Foundation’s program director for Detroit.

Knight Foundation has granted $3 million to the Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), a respected national organization committed to building the economic and social fiber in communities by expanding capital investment in real estate, building family wealth, stimulating local economic activity and improving access to education. In addition to acting as a catalyst for the physical redevelopment of neighborhoods, LISC has shifted its efforts through its new Sustainable Communities program to ensure a continuous process of growth and improvement. LISC’s program in Detroit – the Neighborhoods NOW Initiative – will tackle this next phase of building a healthy community.

Several other Knight grants address new opportunities in Detroit neighborhoods:

• Next Detroit Neighborhood ($1.25 million): This program will assist Detroit in implementing land-use plans for more than 4,400 properties in the Northend neighborhood. The program will help the city develop strategies to use vacant land for affordable, mixed-use housing developments, community gardening and greening projects. It will also help transfer land to private developers.
• Holy Cross Children’s Services ($1.3 million): This grant intends to stimulate employment opportunities for African-American men living in the Northend by supporting the Wings of Faith day labor initiative. By enrolling and preparing clients for employment, identifying potential employers and referring prepared clients to these employers, Wings of Faith gives small businesses the opportunity to hire local workers, thus helping to sustain Detroit’s growth. Although employees will start as day laborers, Wings of Faith aims to help its clients move into full- and part-time positions.
• Child Care Coordinating Council ($200,000): This project strengthens the Internet and digital access capabilities of Northend residents and includes computer software and hardware training for residents. Knight Foundation has taken this opportunity to further help the organization (4C) develop its Community Technical Center, located at the Family Place in the Northend. The expansion of this initiative will contribute to the Northend’s economic revitalization and community growth.
• City Connect ($240,000): City Connect will help Knight Foundation’s Northend grantees better communicate and work with each other.

The other Knight grants focus on supporting Detroit’s arts institutions and developing its creative culture:

• Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall ($100,000): This grant funds a feasibility study on a Detroit Symphony Orchestra summer home on the riverfront. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra performs and presents a variety of concerts at Orchestra Hall from September to June, and is exploring options for an outdoor summer home that will contribute to the revitalization of Detroit and will provide access to a broad range of music for all.
• The Detroit Institute of Arts ($250,000): This grant will support the Detroit Institute of Arts’ pilot project of using hand-held devices to deliver information about exhibits to museum patrons. This helps the museum connect to its audiences by providing users with a multi-sensory experience.
• Arts League of Michigan ($200,000): Building Detroit’s creative economy ranks as a priority for Knight Foundation, other community leaders and city officials. This grant will help the Arts League launch the Design Detroit Initiative, which will work to foster Detroit’s new economy and revitalization by attracting and retaining up to 1,000 designers/creative professionals to live in the city and work in the region. A notable advisory committee comprised of the region’s design professionals is involved in planning the initiative.
• Detroit Renaissance Foundation ($250,000): This grant will fund Detroit Renaissance in developing an asset map of the creative sector for Southeast Michigan. Identifying Detroit’s creative assets will support the planning of future development.

About Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of Detroit and 25 other U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation supports ideas and projects that create transformational change.