Today we announced $7.6 million in new and ongoing grants during our May grant cycle. See the complete grants list here.

Detroit Riverfront Conservancy will receive $3 million to create access to a new beautiful cove for families and the public. The grant will support programming that focuses on water quality issues and inspires stewardship of the Detroit River and Great Lakes watersheds.

“This is an exciting grant that the Foundation knows will make a lasting impact in southeast Michigan and the Great Lakes basin. The Barbara M. Erb Cove will become a hub for stewardship and Great Lakes learning,” said Dr. Neil Hawkins, president of the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation. “A flourishing Great Lakes ecosystem starts by educating the stewards of the watersheds – all of us – and this grant will be instrumental in advancing watershed education and stewardship practices.”

The interpretive programs will be created and evaluated in partnership with Huron-Clinton Metroparks. The gift will also establish the Barbara M. Erb Cove at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park.

A grant of $450,000 to American Forests and $450,000 to The Greening of Detroit will support the restoration of Detroit’s tree canopy as part of the Detroit Reforestation Tree Equity Initiative, which is developing an urban forestry management approach for the City of Detroit that prioritizes social, economic, and environmental equity outcomes. The project will conduct community engagement to help residents understand the benefits of a strengthened tree canopy for stormwater management, climate resilience, and health outcomes. Under the American Forestry Canopy Restoration Plan, The Greening of Detroit will plant and nurture at least 7,000 trees.

Grants totaling more than $800,000 were awarded to support jazz education for youth and educators in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. The Carr Center, Detroit Jazz Festival, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan State University’s Community Music School-Detroit, and Music Hall each received $140,000 to deliver in-school and out-of-school jazz instrumental and vocal instruction. Their offerings will reach beginning youth jazz musicians, as well as rising artists who intend to pursue college and professional paths in jazz. A grant of $84,000 to ArtOps for JazzEd Detroit will facilitate continued convening of the jazz education grantee cohort and marketing support for student recruitment.

The Erb Family Foundation is also supporting the following organizations, among others, in its May grants cycle:

• Michigan Environmental Council received $105,000 to support the Planet Detroit Environmental News Hub, which will produce reporting and social media content that increases awareness of environmental and public health issues facing metro Detroit communities.
• Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan received $250,000 to support activities that will advance The Great Lakes Way, an effort to connect blueways and greenways spanning routes from Lake Huron to Lake Erie.
• Belle Isle Conservancy received $120,000 to promote education, partnership, and campaigns that inspire stewardship of the Belle Isle’s land and water.