DETROIT — More details are emerging about how the Kresge Foundation plans to invest in Detroit as it prepares to relocate its headquarters to the Marygrove campus in northwest Detroit.
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Just over a year after announcing plans to move to Marygrove and invest millions of dollars in the surrounding community, foundation leaders, campus officials and community partners are outlining projects aimed at improving both the campus and nearby neighborhoods.
Construction on the Kresge Foundation's new headquarters is expected to begin in spring 2027. The foundation plans to build a 70,000-square-foot facility on the Marygrove campus, returning to the city where it was founded more than a century ago.
"It's important because Detroit is our hometown. It's where the foundation was founded in 1924," said Wendy Jackson, managing director of Detroit programs for the Kresge Foundation.
The move represents a continuation of the foundation's long-term commitment to the city, Jackson said.
"It's an investment that we've been engaged in for almost a decade, and now we're able to double down on that investment as we move back into the city of Detroit," Jackson said.
Foundation leaders say the building is being designed as more than a traditional office space.
"There will be meeting space, a third space to hang out and grab a coffee," Jackson said. "So we're kind of looking at our building and new headquarters as more of a community hub."
Since announcing the headquarters project last year, the Kresge Foundation and Marygrove Conservancy have also developed plans for improvements across the campus. Those plans include a new playground, basketball court, pedestrian pathways and a campus quad intended to make the grounds more accessible and inviting.
"We have a beautiful campus, but it's not very pedestrian friendly today," said Tom Lewand, CEO of Marygrove Conservancy.
Lewand said the projects are designed to encourage greater community use of the campus.
"By creating pathways, by creating gardens, by creating play areas, we can provide opportunity for engagement for all ages. But not just to do it in isolation, to do it together in community," Lewand said.
The foundation is also investing $180 million in nearby neighborhoods as part of its broader commitment to the area.
According to Live6 Alliance, some of that funding helped support community organizations near the McNichols and Livernois corridor through grants and general operating support.
"They host meetings, host events for their community. So we were able to re-grant over 50,000 to 15 different groups," said Caitlin Murphy, executive director of Live6 Alliance.
One of those organizations, the Ella Fitzgerald Park Conservancy, said the funding will help sustain free neighborhood programming and events.
"So it means everything. Not just to me, but to all of us. And because of it, we meet, we greet, and we do better," said Darnetta Morris-Banks, president of the Ella Fitzgerald Park Conservancy.
The Kresge Foundation and Live6 Alliance are also supporting programs such as neighborhood home repairs.
