Detroit’s ongoing renaissance isn’t stopping at downtown. A major new infusion of funding is set to supercharge the city’s neighborhoods, public spaces and local economy. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced nearly $20 million in grants to 12 projects across the city, a multi-year investment aimed at linking communities, elevating the arts, and expanding opportunities in tech and entrepreneurship. It’s a vote of confidence in the creativity and resilience Detroiters have always shown, and it promises to transform everyday experiences from biking trails to business opportunities.
“Detroit has always been a city of resilience and reinvention,” says Knight Foundation President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth. She explains that the foundation’s latest investments will “support a Detroit that will continue to be shaped by the creativity, talent and vision of its residents... these efforts reflect the energy of a city on its triumphant rise.” Announced at a community celebration in the newly reopened Michigan Central Station earlier this month, the $19.8 million commitment will boost a wide range of community-driven initiatives, from expanding the Joe Louis Greenway to funding youth programs like an urban horse-riding center, all with the goal of making Detroit’s neighborhoods as vibrant and thriving as its downtown core.
Detroit Greenways Coalition, Facebook
From Downtown Revival to Neighborhood Renaissance
Over the past decade, downtown Detroit’s comeback has grabbed headlines, from bustling new restaurants and corporate relocations to the award-winning RiverWalk and Campus Martius Park. Knight Foundation has been a key player in that revival, contributing to initiatives like the 2014 “Grand Bargain” that protected the Detroit Institute of Arts and city pensions during bankruptcy. In fact, over the last 25 years Knight has made more than 750 grants in Detroit totaling $215 million (with $80 million in the past ten years alone). Much of that support focused on boosting downtown and the arts.
Now, that same energy is being channeled into Detroit’s neighborhoods. “Downtown Detroit is headed in the right direction… We want our neighborhoods to go in the same direction,” Knight’s Detroit Program Director LaTrice McClendon has noted. The latest $19.8 million round explicitly expands Knight’s investments from downtown into the city’s “inner-ring” neighborhoods, the communities surrounding the core that have sometimes been left behind in the resurgence. It’s a shift longtime residents welcome: finally, resources are flowing to the grassroots level to build up local places and talent. McClendon describes Knight’s approach as “place-based philanthropy that’s driven by people”, in other words, backing the ideas and leadership of Detroiters themselves.
What exactly will this funding do? In a nutshell, it’s seeding improvements that neighbors will see and feel in daily life. Parks and greenways will connect communities. Arts venues and youth centers will come alive. Entrepreneurs will get new support to launch projects in the city. Below, we break down the highlights of this major investment and what it means for Detroit.
Read our deep dive on the Joe Louis Arena riverfront transformation and its impact on walkability and transit
Investing in Public Spaces and Greenways
It’s not just downtown parks getting love, Detroit’s neighborhoods are seeing new life in their public spaces. Local residents are already enjoying stretches of the new Joe Louis Greenway trail (pictured above), which will eventually form a 27.5-mile loop connecting parks and neighborhoods across Detroit. Once finished, this greenway will link into the Dequindre Cut and RiverWalk, creating an uninterrupted path from the Detroit River through the city and even into the enclaves of Hamtramck, Highland Park and Dearborn. Knight Foundation’s latest grants heavily back these kinds of projects. The largest single award, $5 million, is going to the Unified Greenway Project to help build and sustain those miles of trails. Half of that funding will advance construction and activation of new greenway segments (via the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy), and the other half will grow an endowment to keep the paths programmed and maintained for generations. In short, Knight is helping ensure that new trails like the one above aren’t just laid down in concrete, but also come to life with events, safety features, and long-term upkeep.
Another $2 million is dedicated to the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership to create a vibrant trailhead along Woodward Avenue. This will be a welcoming gateway where people can enter the Greenway in the heart of the city. Importantly, it connects Highland Park residents to the 27.5-mile loop, bridging a community that has historically lacked investment in such amenities. The plan is to add cultural programming and public art at this Woodward trailhead, so it’s not just an entry point but a true community space celebrating local culture as you step onto the path.
Several other public space projects are getting a boost as well, each bringing a unique twist to their neighborhood:
- Eastside Community Network, “Mother Tree” Wellness Campus ($1.5 million): On the east side, a long-vacant 9-acre plot is being transformed into a lush wellness park. Plans include rain gardens to manage stormwater, edible landscapes and community gardens, fitness stations for exercise, and solar-powered gathering areas for events. This eco-friendly campus will also host programs focused on health, job training and environmental resilience. Knight’s grant will help complete the physical park and support its programming, giving residents a much-needed green oasis in an area that’s lacked recreational space.
- Downtown Detroit Partnership ($800,000): If you’ve ever enjoyed summer concerts at Campus Martius or strolled through Capitol Park downtown, you know how vibrant those places are. This funding will help the Downtown Detroit Partnership (the group that manages those public spaces) make them even more welcoming and accessible to all Detroiter. Think improved infrastructure (better seating, lighting, landscaping) and inclusive programming that reflects the city’s diverse communities. The idea is that downtown’s parks should feel like they belong to everyone, whether you live in the city or are just visiting. Stronger downtown public spaces also boost the city’s image and encourage economic activity, from office workers grabbing lunch at food trucks to families enjoying winter ice skating.
- rootoftwo “Transformer” Civic Studio ($500,000): In a blend of art, design and community problem-solving, an old decommissioned electrical substation will be reborn as “The Transformer”, a civic innovation studio. The art/design duo rootoftwo (in partnership with CultureSource) will use this grant to convert an unused utility building into a public workshop and tech lab space. Imagine a place where neighbors, artists, and technologists can come together to brainstorm solutions for the city, whether it’s designing a better bus stop, creating a public art installation, or prototyping a tool for community engagement. By funding digital tools, civic tech labs and co-creation workshops, Knight is betting on the creativity of Detroiters to shape their own neighborhood improvements. It’s an offbeat project, but one that speaks to Detroit’s DIY spirit and history of innovation.
For a closer look at how new parks and the Joe Louis Greenway are knitting neighborhoods together, see our guide here
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Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit - MOCAD, Facebook
Strengthening Arts and Community Hubs
Detroit’s creative energy is legendary, from Motown music to world-class murals, and building on that cultural strength is a big part of the Knight investment. Two well-known organizations in the arts and community space are receiving major grants, allowing them to expand their reach:
- Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) $2 million: Midtown’s MOCAD, housed in a repurposed auto dealership, has become a hub for cutting-edge art and community events. Knight’s grant will help activate the new “Knight Foundation Community Commons,” a flexible indoor/outdoor space at MOCAD’s campus, and fund critical infrastructure upgrades. In practical terms, this means the museum can host more year-round programs, from outdoor film screenings and live music, to workshops and neighborhood gatherings, without being limited by space or weather. The goal is to make MOCAD not just a gallery for modern art, but a true community living room where creative Detroiters convene. (It’s worth noting Knight Foundation has supported MOCAD in the past, and the Community Commons is even named in its honor.)
- Vanguard Community Development Corporation (North End) $2 million: Over in the historic North End neighborhood, Vanguard CDC has been working to revitalize the community through housing and arts for years. This $2 million is a follow-on to previous Knight support, aimed at completing the North End Community Campus, a new civic and cultural hub on East Grand Boulevard. The campus will feature public art installations, artist studios, performance and exhibition spaces, and workshop areas for creative entrepreneurs. It’s expected to serve over 10,000 residents annually once finished. Perhaps just as exciting, this project lays the groundwork for future affordable housing dedicated to local artists and creatives, ensuring that the North End’s resurgence benefits the people who give it its character. For a neighborhood that’s nurtured legends (it was once home to Motown greats and jazz clubs) but suffered disinvestment, this investment signals a cultural revival led by the community itself.
Knight’s focus on the North End is no coincidence, the foundation has piloted many efforts there in recent years, viewing it as a model for equitable development. By bolstering MOCAD and Vanguard’s community campus, the grants are reinforcing Detroit’s arts scene as a driver of neighborhood revival. When residents have places to create, perform, and come together, it builds the kind of local pride and engagement that you can’t manufacture. These spaces become anchors that draw people in and keep talent in the city.
Boosting Detroit’s Tech and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Detroit may be the Motor City, but its future is also being written in code and startups. A chunk of the Knight funding is going toward initiatives that ensure Detroiters, especially those historically left out, can participate in the modern tech economy and build wealth in their communities. The grants target both the high-growth tech sector and grassroots entrepreneurship:
- Black Tech Saturdays, $2 million: One of the most buzzed-about new programs in the city, Black Tech Saturdays was founded by Detroit natives Johnnie and Alexa Turnage to connect Black professionals and students with opportunities in the tech industry. What started as a local meetup has exploded into a nationwide draw, with over 20,000 people participating in its events and programs so far. The $2 million Knight infusion will help the team scale up their digital infrastructure (think better online platforms and resources), host more events and workshops, and amplify storytelling of Detroit tech successes. Perhaps most importantly, this investment is expected to unlock around $10 million in new income for Detroiters by guiding them into high-growth tech jobs and entrepreneurial ventures. In other words, it’s not just about cool coding bootcamps or networking mixers, it’s about translating tech skills into real economic gains for the community. By elevating Black Tech Saturdays, Detroit could become a national model for how to build an inclusive tech ecosystem right in the city, rather than exporting talent to Silicon Valley.
- Design Core Detroit (College for Creative Studies) $1 million: Detroit’s design industry doesn’t always get the spotlight, but it’s a quietly booming part of the economy – from architecture and industrial design (we still design cars here, after all!) to graphic and fashion design. Design Core, an arm of CCS, has been nurturing this sector through events like the annual Detroit Month of Design, business incubators, and by championing Detroit as a UNESCO City of Design. Knight’s grant will provide training, funding and connections for local creative businesses, helping designers scale up and hire locally. By strengthening these creative enterprises, the investment not only helps artists and designers thrive, but also furthers Detroit’s reputation as a global design capital. It’s the kind of boost that could mean more jobs at small design firms, more cool pop-up shops or exhibits, and more homegrown creative projects taking root in our neighborhoods.
- Black Leaders Detroit, $1 million: Access to capital is a perennial challenge for minority entrepreneurs and community developers. Black Leaders Detroit (BLD) has made a name by literally biking for dollars, the founder does an annual 300+ mile bike ride to raise awareness, and by providing zero-interest loans to Black entrepreneurs who can’t get bank loans. Knight’s $1 million will go straight into BLD’s loan fund, allowing them to support over 30 community-led residential projects and create 150+ jobs in Detroit neighborhoods. We’re talking about funding small-scale developers who rehab vacant houses, or local entrepreneurs opening a cafe or storefront, who might otherwise be denied credit. By recycling the money as loans that get paid back and then loaned out again, this fund will continue to empower new projects for years to come. The big picture: fewer empty houses blighting a block, more Detroiters able to build wealth through property and business, and an inclusive development model where neighbors get to be the change-makers. Knight Foundation clearly sees this as a way to build community wealth from the ground up, complementing the bricks-and-mortar investments in parks and arts with an economic engine for the people.
See how Detroit’s smart-city tools are improving everyday neighborhood life
Empowering Youth with Unique Opportunities
Engaging the next generation is crucial for Detroit’s long-term success. Several of the Knight-funded projects put young Detroiters front and center, creating positive outlets and learning opportunities that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. From horseback riding to entrepreneurial training, these initiatives are as creative as the city’s youth themselves:
Yes, there will be horses in the city! A standout project in this grant lineup is Detroit Horse Power’s urban equestrian center. In the photo above, a Detroit student leads a horse as part of Detroit Horse Power’s programming, an experience that will soon become far more accessible to local youth. The nonprofit, started by a former Detroit schoolteacher, has been taking kids to ride and care for horses on farms outside the city for years. Now, with a $1 million grant, Detroit Horse Power is transforming a 14-acre vacant site in the Hope Village neighborhood into the nation’s largest urban horse center. The plan includes indoor and outdoor riding arenas, stables, and classroom space, all embedded in the city landscape. The idea might sound surprising at first, horses in a Detroit neighborhood? – but it’s incredibly meaningful. Through riding and caring for horses, kids learn confidence, patience, responsibility and leadership. They also gain a safe space for recreation in a community that lacks typical youth facilities. Knight’s funding helps make this ambitious equestrian campus a reality, bringing a bit of the countryside into the city and giving hundreds of kids a new avenue for personal growth. Don’t be surprised if in a couple years you see local teens proudly leading horses down Joy Road or Grand River as part of this program, a sight that will truly symbolize Detroit’s blend of urban grit and open possibilities.
- Give Merit – “Merit Park” Youth Hub ($1 million): Another exciting venture is happening on the west side along Grand River Avenue, where the nonprofit Give Merit is building out Merit Park, a multi-faceted youth community hub. With Knight’s support, long-vacant lots are being reborn as a space where kids can play, learn, and even dip their toes into entrepreneurship. The project includes sports fields and outdoor classrooms (imagine neighborhood kids playing soccer or working on science projects outside), as well as retail incubators and civic spaces run by youth. The Knight grant specifically funds the creation of Merit Park Plaza, a public gathering spot within the hub, and helps set up small business kiosks where local youth can launch pop-up shops or community initiatives. It’s like a mini-campus for growing the next generation of Detroit leaders. Give Merit is known for its mentorship and entrepreneurship programs (they work with high school students to develop business ideas and offer college scholarships). By literally building a park around those concepts, they’re rooting opportunity right in the neighborhood. Families in the area will gain a safe place for kids to hang out and develop skills, and the community will benefit from the activity and commerce sparked by these youth-led businesses. It’s a win-win that shows how investing in young people pays off in the vitality of the whole community.
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Joe Louis Greenway, Facebook
A Community-Driven Vision for Detroit’s Future
One thread ties all these diverse projects together: Detroiters themselves have shaped these ideas. Knight Foundation isn’t parachuting in to dictate what the city needs, it’s amplifying the work that local residents, nonprofits and leaders have already been doing. Wadsworth, Knight’s CEO, emphasized that the decisions on what to fund were “driven by the community itself... Knight’s role here is really only to serve as the wind at the back” of Detroiters’ own passion and vision (as she told the Detroit Free Press). In practical terms, that means each grant is backing a project that had strong local buy-in, whether it was a community group planning a greenway connector or a couple of Detroit entrepreneurs building a Black tech movement. This collaborative approach is how Knight has operated in Detroit for 85 years (the foundation’s ties go back to when the Knight brothers owned the Detroit Free Press newspaper). It’s philanthropy with a local soul, and it reflects a trust in the people of the city.
LaTrice McClendon of Knight Foundation perhaps said it best: “We believe in Detroit’s future because we believe in the people leading its transformation.” The nearly $20 million now flowing into Detroit neighborhoods is ultimately an investment in people, their ideas, their energy, and their commitment to the city.
What This Means for Detroiters (And How to Get Involved)
For Detroit families, entrepreneurs, and longtime residents, these projects aren’t abstract. They’re going to bring tangible improvements to daily life. In the coming years, you might:
- Ride your bike from your neighborhood to the Riverfront without ever leaving a dedicated path, enjoying new art and park amenities along the Joe Louis Greenway.
- Attend a block party or art workshop at a new community space in the North End or at MOCAD’s Commons, connecting with neighbors and local creatives.
- See formerly vacant lots turned into lively places, whether it’s kids playing soccer at Merit Park or community gardens flourishing at the Mother Tree campus.
- Benefit from new job opportunities or training, maybe you’ll land a role in the tech industry through a Black Tech Saturdays event, or get support to launch your own small business through Black Leaders Detroit’s fund.
- Watch Detroit’s youth thrive, as they gain confidence riding horses, coding apps, creating art, and more. Today’s third-grader might become tomorrow’s community leader thanks to the mentorship and experiences these grants facilitate.
The excitement is already building. If you’re a Detroiter, there are plenty of ways to get involved. You can volunteer with organizations like Detroit Horse Power or Eastside Community Network to help bring these projects to life. You can attend events, for example, check out a Black Tech Saturdays meetup or visit MOCAD to see the new Community Commons in action. Simply exploring these new or improved spaces when they open is a great way to show support (take a walk on the greenway, bring your family to a festival at Merit Park, or shop at a pop-up in the North End).
And for those who have been considering moving into or investing in Detroit’s neighborhoods, this wave of improvements is a signal that now is a promising time. Longtime local experts will tell you that strong community amenities tend to boost nearby property values and overall quality of life. At the very least, these grants mean you’ll have more vibrant, engaging communities to call home.
Detroit’s story has always been one of comebacks fueled by its own people. With the Knight Foundation’s nearly $20 million injection, the next chapter of that story is unfolding on our sidewalks, in our parks, and through the dreams of our neighbors. The city’s revival is no longer confined to downtown, it’s flowering in every corner of Detroit. As a community, let’s embrace these new opportunities: get out there, get involved, and help shape the future of our neighborhoods. After all, the heart of Detroit isn’t just in one place; it’s in all of us who call this city home.
Want to learn more or find ways to plug into Detroit’s neighborhood renaissance? Keep an eye on these organizations’ websites and local event calendars for updates. Take a stroll or bike ride to see progress firsthand. And feel free to reach out to local community leaders or real estate experts if you’re curious about living or investing in an area that’s on the rise, we’re always here to share insights from a lifetime in Metro Detroit. Detroit’s momentum is real and growing, and everyone is invited to be part of it.
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