$3.75 Million to Power Sustainable Business in Southeast Michigan

Fred and Barbara Erb believed that a business could do well and do right at the same time—that caring for people and the planet was not a cost to be managed but a better, more responsible way to build. Today, in the final years of our spenddown, the Foundation is carrying that belief into the small business economy of the region they called home. We’re thrilled to introduce the Sustainable Business Innovation Cohort: 10 nonprofit organizations that help small businesses strive to be good for people and the planet while being profitable.

“The organizations in this cohort are the ones small businesses across Southeast Michigan turn to for capital, coaching, and connection,” said Melissa Damaschke, president of the Fred & Barbara Erb Family Foundation. “As we move through our spenddown, championing these trusted leaders—and nurturing the collaborative network between them—is how we help Fred and Barbara’s belief take root and endure long after our grantmaking ends.”

How the Cohort Works

Each of the 10 partners receives a three-year, $375,000 grant—$125,000 a year in flexible program funding plus general operating support—for a total of $3.75 million across the cohort. The grant gives each organization the flexibility to test a new idea and adapt to it as they go. The program is also built for these organizations to learn from one another. Over three years they’ll come together nine times and develop individualized learning plans with the support of one-on-one and group coaching. The organizations will share openly what they discover so the whole cohort can learn alongside them.

Meet the Cohort

Credit: ProsperUs

Chosen for their track record, deep community roots, and readiness to put triple-bottom-line practices into action, these 10 partners are leading critical initiatives across Southeast Michigan:

• Black Leaders Detroit, a Detroit-based capital-movement organization that deploys zero-interest loans and unrestricted grants across the city, will expand its Common Wealth Fund to help Detroit businesses adopt or deepen triple-bottom-line practices. 

• D’Artillery, a creative empowerment hub for immigrant and refugee women in Metro Detroit, will grow its Woventures program from a 10-week pilot into a 12-month incubator in textile arts and small-batch, zero-waste manufacturing. 

• DFO313, a business-support organization for minority-owned contractor entrepreneurs, will run its Design-Build Green Hub, offering boot camps and coaching that help contractors adopt greener, more resilient business practices.  

• Downriver Community Conference, the trusted regional connector for small businesses across the 20 communities of Wayne County’s Downriver corridor, will launch its Downriver Sustainable Business Accelerator, guiding businesses from a sustainability assessment through to financing with partner ProsperUs Detroit. 

• Fair Food Network, a nonprofit strengthening Southeast Michigan’s local food economy, will run its Farm to Retail Accelerator, connecting farmers, processors, and retailers so more of the region’s food dollars stay with local producers. 

• Growing Hope, an Ypsilanti nonprofit that helps food entrepreneurs grow, will expand its new downtown Accelerator Kitchen, adding local procurement, composting, and a shared-kitchen network so entrepreneurs can scale. 

• Invest Detroit, a small business financing organization, will pilot financing tools—from energy audits to no-money-down efficiency loans—that help small businesses invest in energy efficiency. 

• Make Food Not Waste, a Southeast Michigan nonprofit focused on cutting food waste, will build its Plate to Planet network, coaching independent restaurants to reduce waste while cutting costs and steadying operations. 

• Michigan Hispanic Fund, the nonprofit arm of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will run its Mercado Resilience Cohort, building sustainability and employee wellbeing into business strategy for Hispanic-owned businesses with partner People First Economy. 

• ProsperUs, a Wayne County entrepreneur-support organization, will test how sustainability education, coaching, and financing can strengthen neighborhood businesses. 

What We Hope Endures 

Our goal isn’t just to launch a single cohort, but to build lasting connections among these partners and the small businesses they support—creating a network strong enough to sustain this momentum for years to come.

See Grants List