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Detroit Regional Chamber, General Motors Announce Largest Cohort of NeighborHUB Grant Winners to Date

November 30, 2020

Detroit Regional Chamber, General Motors Announce Largest Cohort of NeighborHUB Grant Winners to Date

  • $300,000 in grants awarded to Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park neighborhood nonprofit organizations.
  • In response to the COVID-19 crisis, available funding was doubled to support additional organizations.

DETROIT, (Nov. 30, 2020) – Today, the Detroit Regional Chamber and General Motors (GM) announced the third cohort of awardees for the NeighborHUB grant program. This year’s awards doubled to support eleven neighborhood nonprofit organizations who proposed the most innovative solutions to problems facing their communities.

The following nonprofits will receive grants, PPE, and other in-kind support from the Chamber and GM:

“The NeighborHUB grant means to us the opportunity to provide an area where people can connect with nature for physical and mental restoration,” said Tammy Black, president of the Community Treehouse Center. “Detroit Greenspace improves physical health as it decreases pollution, encourages exercise, improves immune function. The Bird Watcher’s Garden will be especially important as an area where children and adults can explore nature and make their own experience-based discoveries.”

“This year has been a hard year for everyone, especially communities of color, small businesses, nonprofits, and artists because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this pandemic, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation’s (DHDC) 28,000-square-foot-facility has sat as a virtually empty, underutilized space, that is still a cost the organization,” said Lex Zavala, director of DHDC. “We settled on the concept of a Ghost Food Hall/Market, which will be named ‘Fantazma Market.’ Utilizing our outdoor and underutilized indoor spaces, restaurants and small businesses will be able to safely deliver their food or sell their merchandise in our space, all while artists perform, helping to expand their customer base. This is a great opportunity where nonprofit, community, and small businesses can come together to help each other during this crisis, helping DHDC regain lost funds, while supporting struggling local businesses and artists.”

The NeighborHUB program is an annual, collaborative effort between the Chamber and GM that is designed to empower residents in Detroit, Hamtramck, or Highland Park to affect change in their neighborhoods through physical presence and innovative programming. This year, small businesses, among the hardest hit financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, were also eligible for the first time to partner with nonprofits that met the criteria on an application.

Now in its third year, the NeighborHUB has awarded grants to 24 neighborhood organizations. Through a collaborative process, an advisory selection committee comprising representatives from the Chamber, GM, the City of Detroit, BLAC Magazine, and Michigan Community Resources, reviewed and voted on the proposals.

“The work of this cohort’s grant recipients is more important than ever as our regional communities face the challenges of a global health crisis,” said Tammy Carnrike, chief operating officers for the Detroit Regional Chamber. “It is our hope that this support will allow them to continue serving as pillars of these communities and usher in recovery and enduring positive change.”

“On behalf of everyone at GM, we are proud to support the visionary organizations driving measurable progress in their communities,” said Terry Rhadigan, executive director of Corporate Giving at General Motors. “NeighborHUB was born out of a desire to take a residents-first approach to progress in the Detroit region, and it is a privilege to be able to continue to help bring these impactful projects to life.”

More than 100 grant applications were submitted, and the selection process was very competitive. Project work will begin this month and continue through fall 2021. Learn more about the projects at testportal.detroitchamber.com/neighborhub.

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About the Detroit Regional Chamber

Serving the business community for more than 100 years, the Detroit Regional Chamber is one of the oldest, largest and most respected chambers of commerce in the country. As the voice for business in the 11-county Southeast Michigan region, the Chamber’s mission is carried out through creating a business-friendly climate and value for members, leading a robust economic development strategy, and convening Michigan’s most influential audience at the nationally unique Mackinac Policy Conference. Learn more at detroitchamber.com.

About General Motors

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com/.

WATCH | 2020 NeighborHUB Grant Winners