The Kresge Foundation has announced a landmark $180 million investment in Detroit neighborhoods, underscoring its long-term commitment to community-led development. This announcement coincides with the foundation’s plan to relocate its headquarters from Troy to the Marygrove Conservancy Campus in Northwest Detroit. Over more than a decade, Kresge has invested significantly in improving neighborhood quality of life, with the Livernois-McNichols corridor now seeing nearly $400 million in total commitments. The foundation’s new investments are designed to be ambitious, sustainable, and responsive to the priorities of existing residents.
Over the next five years, Kresge will invest in housing stabilization, home ownership, commercial corridor revitalization, public space improvements, and financial support for residents and businesses in neighborhoods including Fitzgerald, Bagley, University District, and Martin Park. A key component is the Resident Investment and Opportunity Fund, created with the Live6 Alliance, which will focus on land stewardship, home maintenance, property tax relief, renter support, and activation of public spaces such as the Ella Fitzgerald Greenway and Ella Fitzgerald Park. The investments are guided by extensive community engagement and the Livernois + McNichols Neighborhoods Action Agenda, ensuring that initiatives reflect residents’ aspirations.
The foundation’s relocation to the Marygrove campus will include the construction of a new 70,000-square-foot headquarters, expected to open in 2028. This facility will serve not only as an operational hub for Kresge’s 130 staff but also as a community asset with public meeting spaces and collaborative areas. The design team, led by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Hood Design Studio and a Detroit-based architect of record, aims to integrate the building into the campus and surrounding neighborhood while emphasizing sustainability, climate resilience, and environmental stewardship.
Kresge has also committed to transforming the Marygrove campus into an educational, civic, and economic hub. Strategic partnerships with the Marygrove Conservancy, University of Michigan, Detroit Public Schools, and Starfish Family Services have supported over 900 children and young adults on campus through early education, K–12 schooling, and higher education programs. These initiatives honor the campus’s legacy of social justice and aim to create a resilient, energy-positive neighborhood equipped to meet the challenges of climate change.
By combining significant financial investments, the headquarters relocation, and community-driven educational initiatives, Kresge seeks to foster long-term neighborhood revitalization, strengthen local infrastructure, and empower residents to shape the future of Detroit. The foundation’s approach emphasizes collaboration, sustainability, and responsiveness to the needs and priorities of the communities it serves.
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