In this new blog series, we sit down with the leaders, team members and community partners who support the work we do in building a more equitable Detroit. In our debut feature, we interviewed Jasmin DeForrest, Director of Arts & Culture at the Gilbert Family Foundation.

We are excited to announce the creation of the Detroit Eviction Defense Fund, which will invest $12 million over three years into three Detroit-based organizations that will provide low-income Detroit families facing eviction proceedings with legal representation. This investment is expected to benefit nearly 6,000 families per year.

The Gilbert Family Foundation, ProMedica and DTE Energy today debuted the Detroit Home Repair Fund (DHRF), which will build capacity for non-profit partners to provide low-income Detroit homeowners with critical home repairs.

One year ago, the Gilbert Family Foundation and Rocket Community Fund made a joint $500M philanthropic commitment to build economic stability and increase access to opportunity for Detroit residents. Since then, the Gilbert Family Foundation has been proud to make a number of important investments under our new “Building Opportunity […]

Detroit, MI, October 12, 2021 – Today the PENSOLE Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC) has proposed draft legislation for state authorization to be recognized as Michigan’s single HBCU with the intention to become the nation’s first-ever re-opened HBCU. PLC is the dream school-made-reality by Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, founder […]

DETROIT, September 23, 2021 – The Gilbert Family Foundation today announced the hiring of Darnell Adams as its Director of Detroit Community Initiatives. Adams will oversee the organization’s Detroit-based community programming as part of its “Building Opportunity and Equity” pillar. A months-long national search and competitive interview process resulted in […]

By: Caroline Brooks, Stephanie Motschenbacher and Lois Furry Michigan State University today announced the Gilbert Family Foundation, in partnership with the Rock Family of Companies, will support the new Apple Developer Academy in Detroit, a transformative education collaboration between Apple and MSU and the first Apple Developer Academy in North America. Apple, MSU and […]

DETROIT, March 25, 2021 – The Gilbert Family Foundation (GFF) and Rocket Community Fund today announced an unprecedented and transformational $500 million philanthropic investment over the next ten years, to be accomplished through strategic contributions to community organizations that will build economic opportunity in Detroit neighborhoods. The Gilbert Family Foundation […]