December 31, 2021

Dear Friends,

On behalf of everyone at Detroit Future City, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and share a few of our successes over the past year.

This Spring, we published The State of Economic Equity in Detroit. Our report provides a treasure trove of data about how Detroit fares when it comes to economic equity. We shared its findings with 200 of our closest friends at the 2021 Economic Equity Forum in June and published a public dashboard of key economic equity indicators on our website soon after. I can’t tell you how often people stop me around the city to tell me that they are so glad we are doing this work and that it has them thinking about ways to create opportunity for all Detroiters.

Meanwhile, DFC’s Community and Economic Development team worked to increase the amount of quality, affordable housing in Detroit. During July, the team published shared goals from the Detroit Neighborhood Housing Compact, which we facilitate for 80+ nonprofit, business, and government partners. These goals focus on expanding the supply and quality of single-family affordable housing in Detroit. The Compact plans to align and utilize their collective resources to advance towards these quality, affordable rental housing and homeownership goals beginning in 2022.

Of course, many of you know our organization for its work in land and water stewardship, and 2021 was another impactful year for this part of our team. In March, we received word that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded us a significant grant in support of a project we proposed, in partnership with Arboretum Detroit, to reimagine vacant land on the lower East Side as a forested recreation trail, bird sanctuary, and stormwater management practice. This work ramped up in 2021 and is planned for completion in Spring 2023.

If you value our work to create a more sustainable Detroit, with green and stable neighborhoods and opportunity for all, we ask that you consider making a donation to Detroit Future City today, by clicking on the button below.

Thank you, and best wishes on a warm holiday season.

Anika Goss
President and CEO
Detroit Future City