The Kresge Foundation

📢 Good news for local journalism! 📢 Today, our partners, Deep South Today, shared news of our funding for a new Mississippi Today reporting desk in Jackson dedicated to covering issues that directly impact the community. This commitment underscores the vital role of community-service journalism—reporting that isn’t just about headlines but about accountability, solutions, and meaningful change. Local journalism: ✅ Informs communities about policies and decisions that affect their daily lives ✅ Holds leaders accountable by shedding light on issues that might otherwise go unnoticed ✅ Empowers citizens with knowledge to advocate for change #LocalNews #JournalismMatters #CommunityServiceJournalism #MississippiToday #KresgeFoundation We shared this news today in our weekly newsletter, Kresge Weekly News. Not a subscriber yet? You can get on the list here: https://lnkd.in/dMra34AN

Join Kresge's Ashley Johnson, PhD and Erika Brice at a webinar on Thursday to learn behind-the-deal details about the foundation's recent social investment in the Reinvestment Fund's HBCU Brilliance Initiative. This event is open to MIE members only.

We currently have four open positions, including a new role posted today: ➡️ NEW Communications Officer, applications due 2/20 ➡️ American Cities Program Officer, via On-Ramps ➡️ Executive Assistant to the CFO, CAO & General Counsel, applications due 2/15 ➡️ Grants Management Associate, applications due 3/4 You can learn more about these roles and working at Kresge and apply to join our team on our Careers page. #jobs #jobposting https://lnkd.in/dhePV8M

Since his inauguration, President Trump has signed dozens of executive orders covering a broad range of issues, including DEI programs, the environment, federal grants, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. To track the status and potential impact of the orders on charitable nonprofits, the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) is offering a variety of resources including: • A chart of the most pertinent executive orders, their expected impacts, and related actions that will be updated regularly: https://lnkd.in/gXrv-VwD • A webinar at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 7, on Executive Actions and their Impact on Charitable Nonprofits. Register: https://lnkd.in/gzN7wk-E • To understand the real-world impact of the orders, NCN has set up a form for nonprofits to share the effect of these executive actions on their work and the people they serve: https://lnkd.in/e2-wrgFX #nonprofits

For generations, families across the nation have sought neighborhoods where they can raise their children in an environment in which they can thrive. However, we know that the zip code in which children are raised is one of life’s strongest predictors of upward socioeconomic mobility. In addressing this issue, Kresge's Detroit Program has launched a new series, Families in Neighborhoods, that will explore efforts underway in Detroit, led by Detroiters, to reimagine neighborhoods as places of opportunity for children and families. Read Jonathan Hui's commentary: https://lnkd.in/eanpfpiU The first installment is a Q&A with Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University: Mobility trends of families with children and the role of public schools in Detroit’s neighborhoods (https://lnkd.in/eDts_Uzc)

Sharing an opportunity to join my awesome American Cities team at The Kresge Foundation as a Program Officer. Based in Detroit, this Program Officer will help to lead our efforts to expand equity and opportunities for residents in under-resourced cities and neighborhoods across the country through long-term strategy, grantmaking and social investments.

Last month, an important transition occurred at an organization incubated by one of our former Kresge presidential fellows: the Center for Community Investment (CCI), which has helped communities across the country create equitable, effective investment systems. Robin Hacke, the founding executive director of the Center, has transitioned to a senior fellow role, as Omar Carrillo Tinajero, a long-time staff member who served as Director of Programs, became the new executive director.   Robin served as a senior fellow at Kresge from 2014-‘16, during which she developed a conceptual framework designed to help local communities create the ability to effectively absorb and deploy capital. The capital absorption framework is rooted in three parts:  • Creating well-defined health, housing, community development, and environmental investment priorities. • Strengthening community musculature for absorbing and distributing external capital into low-income communities. • Ensuring the emergence of a policy environment that facilitates that absorption and distribution. Along with support from RWJF and the MacArthur Foundation, Kresge made an initial $3 million grant to launch the Center. The Center took off immediately as Robin created an organization capable of providing technical assistance to communities, together with financial support, leadership development programs, research dissemination, and a peer learning exchange network. Robin’s successor, Carrillo, will lead the organization’s expansion into new areas, such as climate and shared ownership, while building its network and increasing its influence in the field. Robin will continue to work full-time at CCI as a senior fellow, focusing on thought leadership, influence, and mentorship for program participants and the organization’s growing network. They will be a great team. Congratulations and we wish them well.

Kresge's American Cities Program, which seeks to expand equity and opportunity by promoting effective and inclusive community development practices in cities, has an opening for a program officer. The position will be responsible for managing a portion of the team's portfolio of grants and social change efforts, collaborating with partners at national and local levels, designing and implementing grantmaking initiatives, and leading select bodies of work associated with the program's strategic priorities. #jobopportunity #hiring #philanthropy

February is #BlackHistoryMonth, where we celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Americans. Kresge is proud to partner with organizations that fight for racial equity and celebrate Black Americans’ central role in and contributions to U.S. history. Here are some ways to celebrate:

Kresge Arts In Detroit is pleased to announce that award-winning jazz bassist and distinguished arts advocate Marion Hayden has been named as the 17th Kresge Eminent Artist. The prestigious honor, an annual recognition for metro Detroiters' contribution to their art forms and the region's cultural communities, comes with a $100,000 prize. “I credit Detroit and its artists and its wonderful creative culture for so much of who I am,’’ Hayden said. “We have such a strong community. It’s still my muse.’’ Learn more and hear her music: https://bit.ly/4hsJwM2 “She’s such a deeply rooted community person, so ready and always willing to bring her creativity to wherever it’s needed,’’ said selection panel member and Sidewalk Detroit Founder Ryan Myers-Johnson. “What you also get from her is a deep love of craft at a very high level." The Kresge Eminent Artist, Kresge Artist Fellowships and Gilda Awards are administered by the Kresge-funded Kresge Arts in Detroit office of the College for Creative Studies (CCS). Extending congratulations to Hayden, CCS President Don Tuski praised Hayden as “an extraordinary Detroiter and one of the country’s most accomplished #jazz musicians.”