The Gilbert Family Foundation has committed $600,000 over three years to support the Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance's core programs.

In this Q&A blog post, we sit down to chat with JJ Vélez, Director of Public Spaces at the Gilbert Family Foundation. JJ talks about the unique challenges he faced starting his job at the onset of the pandemic, and how his experiences growing up influenced his perspective on the importance of thriving public spaces.

In this partner spotlight, we highlight LifeLine Global Consulting, a full-service business planning and management consultancy that supports women and minority-owned small businesses with the resources they need to thrive. Dr. Nicole Parker, Founder and CEO of LifeLine shares her personal journey and her passion for supporting entrepreneurs.

The Thriving Neighborhoods Fund recently held their first quarterly convening, where the 20 nonprofit organizations in the cohort were able to connect in order to share ideas, network, discuss best practices and more. Watch the video to learn more about the program and how the organizations benefitted.

In celebration of Black History Month, we're highlighting the diversity of our team and the voices of our Black team members by exploring why diversity in philanthropy is critical to building more equitable communities.